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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. content — happy
  3. mug — a cup
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. cue — a hint
  6. mug — a face
  7. hand — help
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. file — a document
  10. hand — in cards
  11. can — to be able to
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. content — the amount
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. cue — a signal
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. mug — to rob
  19. cue — for pool
  20. can — a tin
  21. file — a tool
  22. can — a tin
  23. file — a line of people
  24. leaves — lets stay

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