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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. wound — an injury
  4. content — happy
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. content — the amount
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. hand — help
  11. bore — to drill
  12. dip — to sink
  13. bore — to tire
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. cue — for pool
  17. stem — to come from
  18. wound — an injury
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. cue — a hint
  22. cue — a signal
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. hand — in cards

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