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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 big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. chair — a leader
  4. clip — for paper
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. rest — what's left
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. tear — from crying
  9. tear — from crying
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. rest — what's left
  12. foot — a measure
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. content — the amount
  17. clip — a video
  18. clip — to cut
  19. content — happy
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. stem — to come from
  22. rest — a break
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. tear — to rip

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