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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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. mate — a friend
  3. content — happy
  4. fall — the season
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. stem — to come from
  7. current — of water
  8. mate — to breed
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. mate — a partner
  12. current — electric
  13. fall — to drop
  14. current — happening now
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. content — the amount
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. fall — to drop
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. lie — to recline
  24. lie — an untruth

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