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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 120 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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. track — a path
  3. object — to protest
  4. spring — of water
  5. content — the amount
  6. spring — a coil
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. face — to confront
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. face — part of the head
  11. content — happy
  12. mark — a trace
  13. spring — the season
  14. mark — a grade
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. track — to keep track
  17. object — an aim
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. track — a song
  20. face — to point toward
  21. object — a thing
  22. stand — to bear
  23. stem — to come from
  24. content — videos and posts

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