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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. can — to be able to
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. land — to come down
  8. content — the amount
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. stem — to come from
  11. land — ground
  12. pop — to visit
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. land — a country
  15. can — a tin
  16. can — a tin
  17. rock — music
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. pop — soda
  20. last — to go on
  21. content — happy
  22. rock — a stone
  23. last — finally
  24. last — final

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