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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. rest — what's left
  3. rest — what's left
  4. mug — a face
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. current — electric
  7. mug — a cup
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. rest — a break
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. current — of water
  13. bark — to shout
  14. content — happy
  15. stem — to come from
  16. content — the amount
  17. branch — a division
  18. lean — to bend
  19. current — happening now
  20. lean — thin
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. mug — to rob
  24. branch — of a tree

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