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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. content — happy
  4. field — farmland
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. pound — a weight
  9. last — final
  10. field — for sport
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. stem — to come from
  13. can — a tin
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. content — the amount
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. last — to go on
  18. can — to be able to
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. can — a tin
  21. field — a subject
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. trunk — 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