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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. mark — a grade
  4. can — a tin
  5. content — the amount
  6. present — a gift
  7. content — happy
  8. can — to be able to
  9. can — a tin
  10. present — there
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. stand — to bear
  13. stem — to come from
  14. bulb — for light
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. clip — for paper
  17. clip — to cut
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. present — the time now
  20. mark — a trace
  21. bulb — for light
  22. clip — a video
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. content — videos and posts

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