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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. swing — in golf
  3. stock — goods
  4. swing — to play on
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. content — happy
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. spring — of water
  10. mug — a cup
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. spring — the season
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. saw — the tool
  15. swing — music
  16. stock — shares
  17. mug — to rob
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. content — the amount
  20. stem — to come from
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. mug — a face
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. spring — a coil

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