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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 116 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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. pop — music
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. squash — the sport
  9. suit — in cards
  10. pop — to visit
  11. suit — clothes
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. sharp — clever
  14. bark — to shout
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. suit — to fit
  18. shower — rain
  19. content — happy
  20. squash — to crush
  21. stem — to come from
  22. shower — to wash
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. content — the amount

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