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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. rash — a series
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. content — happy
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. court — of a king
  7. court — of law
  8. drill — a practice
  9. cell — in biology
  10. drill — the tool
  11. rash — hasty
  12. tear — from crying
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. court — for sport
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. tear — to rip
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. cell — a phone
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. drill — army training
  23. content — the amount
  24. stem — to come from

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