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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. stem — to come from
  3. game — wild animals
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. content — the amount
  7. craft — boats
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. object — to protest
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. bulb — for light
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. object — a thing
  14. content — happy
  15. craft — a skill
  16. object — an aim
  17. snap — to click
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. bank — for money
  20. bulb — for light
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. bank — for money
  24. game — a match

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