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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. content — the amount
  8. mate — a friend
  9. mate — to breed
  10. bulb — for light
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. chest — of your body
  13. stem — to come from
  14. row — a line
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. chest — of your body
  17. chest — a box
  18. bulb — for light
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. scale — in music
  21. scale — size or range
  22. mate — a partner
  23. content — happy
  24. bulb — of a plant

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