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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. land — ground
  3. content — happy
  4. firm — steady
  5. present — there
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. land — to come down
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. snap — to click
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. firm — a company
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. present — the time now
  18. wax — to grow
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. content — the amount
  21. stem — to come from
  22. firm — decided
  23. land — a country
  24. present — a gift

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