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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. content — happy
  3. content — the amount
  4. stem — to come from
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. fall — the season
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. land — ground
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. face — to point toward
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. root — the cause
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. fall — to drop
  15. face — part of the head
  16. land — to come down
  17. object — an aim
  18. land — a country
  19. object — a thing
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. root — of a word
  22. face — to confront
  23. root — of a plant
  24. fall — to drop

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