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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 120 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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. stock — goods
  3. content — happy
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. stock — shares
  6. lean — thin
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. suit — in cards
  9. land — ground
  10. bore — to drill
  11. content — the amount
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. lean — to bend
  16. land — to come down
  17. bore — to tire
  18. suit — to fit
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. stem — to come from
  23. land — a country
  24. suit — clothes

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