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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. last — to go on
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. bark — to shout
  5. last — final
  6. suit — clothes
  7. content — happy
  8. suit — in cards
  9. chair — a leader
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. stem — to come from
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. suit — to fit
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. last — finally
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. chair — a professorship

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