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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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. bank — of a river
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. stem — to come from
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. content — happy
  7. bank — for money
  8. dip — to sink
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. pitch — completely
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. track — a song
  14. cell — in biology
  15. scale — in music
  16. cell — a phone
  17. track — a path
  18. content — the amount
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. bank — for money
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. track — to keep track
  24. scale — size or range

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