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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. swing — music
  5. stock — shares
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. firm — a company
  8. bark — to shout
  9. prune — to trim
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. firm — steady
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. shower — to wash
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. swing — in golf
  16. prune — to trim
  17. content — happy
  18. stem — to come from
  19. stock — goods
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. firm — decided
  23. swing — to play on
  24. shower — rain

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