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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. capital — money
  5. mug — a cup
  6. stem — to come from
  7. content — the amount
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. firm — a company
  10. mug — to rob
  11. capital — a city
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. firm — steady
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. mug — a face
  21. content — happy
  22. firm — decided
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. stem — a stem cell

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