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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 116 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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. content — the amount
  7. snap — to click
  8. bass — the fish
  9. current — electric
  10. rash — a series
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. stem — to come from
  13. current — of water
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. bass — low music
  18. wake — a trail
  19. row — to paddle
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. content — happy
  22. current — happening now
  23. row — a line
  24. rash — on the skin

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