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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. fine — high quality
  3. spring — a coil
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. cell — in biology
  9. spring — of water
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. fine — all right
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. spring — the season
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. firm — decided
  17. content — happy
  18. stem — to come from
  19. cell — a phone
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. firm — steady
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. firm — a company
  24. fine — a penalty

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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