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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 124 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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. root — of a word
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. rush — hurry
  5. can — a tin
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. wound — an injury
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. can — a tin
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. root — the cause
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. perch — the fish
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. root — of a plant
  17. mate — a friend
  18. mate — a partner
  19. wound — an injury
  20. stem — to come from
  21. mate — to breed
  22. content — happy
  23. can — to be able to
  24. rush — a thrill

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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