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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  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. stem — to come from
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. content — the amount
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. mine — for digging
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. fine — all right
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. fine — high quality
  16. rock — music
  17. bark — to shout
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. rock — a stone
  22. content — happy
  23. fine — a penalty
  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