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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. craft — a skill
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. pop — to visit
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. content — the amount
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. pop — soda
  12. pop — music
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. tear — from crying
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. craft — boats
  18. tear — to rip
  19. content — happy
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. tear — from crying
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. stem — to come from

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