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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. charge — in control
  4. pop — to visit
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. content — the amount
  7. charge — electricity
  8. pop — soda
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. wax — to grow
  12. bank — of a river
  13. charge — a price
  14. row — to paddle
  15. scale — in music
  16. row — a line
  17. stem — to come from
  18. scale — size or range
  19. content — happy
  20. pop — music
  21. bank — for money
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. bank — for money
  24. stem — a stem cell

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