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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. stem — to come from
  4. fall — the season
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. pop — to visit
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. ground — the earth
  11. fork — in a road
  12. ground — crushed
  13. pop — soda
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. fall — to drop
  17. ground — a position
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. fall — to drop
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. pop — music
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. content — happy

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