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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 120 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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. bank — of a river
  3. charge — a price
  4. chest — of your body
  5. track — to keep track
  6. chest — of your body
  7. bank — for money
  8. content — happy
  9. wake — a trail
  10. track — a song
  11. charge — electricity
  12. track — a path
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. bank — for money
  16. content — the amount
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. squash — to crush
  20. stem — to come from
  21. squash — the sport
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. charge — in control
  24. chest — a box

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