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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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. root — of a word
  3. mine — for digging
  4. club — a group
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. content — the amount
  7. rash — a series
  8. suit — clothes
  9. suit — in cards
  10. root — the cause
  11. season — in sport
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. stem — to come from
  14. content — happy
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. season — of the year
  17. club — for golf
  18. root — of a plant
  19. club — for dancing
  20. rash — hasty
  21. suit — to fit
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. rash — on the skin

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