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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. content — happy
  3. squash — the sport
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. present — the time now
  6. bore — to drill
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. mate — to breed
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. stem — to come from
  12. shower — rain
  13. shower — to wash
  14. mate — a friend
  15. present — there
  16. content — the amount
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. mate — a partner
  19. bore — to tire
  20. present — a gift
  21. squash — to crush
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. temple — a place of worship

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