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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. spring — a coil
  5. stem — to come from
  6. content — the amount
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. land — a country
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. land — ground
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. land — to come down
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. spring — the season
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. spring — of water

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com