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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. fine — high quality
  5. wind — moving air
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. track — a path
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. track — to keep track
  13. lie — to recline
  14. wind — moving air
  15. snap — to click
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. content — happy
  19. content — the amount
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. dip — to sink
  23. track — a song
  24. stem — to come from

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