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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. present — there
  4. bark — to shout
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. content — happy
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. content — the amount
  9. row — a line
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. row — to paddle
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. stem — to come from
  14. saw — the tool
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. present — the time now
  19. rash — hasty
  20. saw — the tool
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. present — a gift
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. rash — a series

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