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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 party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. last — finally
  3. dip — to sink
  4. stem — to come from
  5. bulb — for light
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. last — to go on
  9. bore — to tire
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. field — farmland
  12. field — for sport
  13. field — a subject
  14. bore — to drill
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. content — the amount
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. last — final
  19. content — happy
  20. bulb — for light
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. rash — hasty

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