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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. season — of the year
  3. band — a ring
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. bear — the animal
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. stem — to come from
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. season — in sport
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. content — happy
  18. kick — in football
  19. content — the amount
  20. band — a music group
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. bear — the animal
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. band — a rubber band

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