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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 116 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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. wind — moving air
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. rash — a series
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. rash — hasty
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. wound — an injury
  10. bank — of a river
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. content — happy
  13. bank — for money
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. wound — an injury
  20. wind — moving air
  21. bank — for money
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. stem — to come from
  24. stem — of a plant

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