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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  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. stem — to come from
  2. content — the amount
  3. ground — the earth
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. plane — a tool
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. ground — crushed
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. roll — a cake
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. tube — the underground
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. ground — a position
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. roll — a list
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. tube — a container
  21. kick — in football
  22. content — happy
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. stem — of a plant

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