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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. saw — the tool
  4. charge — in control
  5. saw — the tool
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. charge — a price
  8. wound — an injury
  9. craft — boats
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. charge — electricity
  12. content — the amount
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. date — the fruit
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. content — happy
  19. craft — a skill
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. stem — to come from
  23. wound — an injury
  24. stem — of a plant

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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