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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. bank — for money
  4. content — happy
  5. bank — for money
  6. current — of water
  7. rash — a series
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. current — happening now
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. rash — hasty
  13. mark — a trace
  14. wake — a trail
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. kid — to tease
  17. mark — a grade
  18. stem — to come from
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. content — the amount
  21. current — electric
  22. kid — child
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. bank — of a river

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