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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. bear — the animal
  3. stem — to come from
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. march — music
  6. bear — the animal
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. bound — tied together
  12. march — the month
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. content — the amount
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. bound — obliged
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. bound — certain
  23. content — happy
  24. march — the month

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