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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. fall — to drop
  3. stock — shares
  4. fall — to drop
  5. content — the amount
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. land — a country
  10. field — a subject
  11. drill — a practice
  12. land — ground
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. drill — army training
  15. fall — the season
  16. content — happy
  17. stock — goods
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. field — for sport
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. field — farmland
  22. drill — the tool
  23. land — to come down
  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