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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. can — a tin
  4. stem — to come from
  5. court — for sport
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. content — the amount
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. court — of a king
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. content — happy
  13. stock — shares
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. stock — goods
  19. court — of law
  20. can — a tin
  21. can — to be able to
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. wound — an injury
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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