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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. season — in sport
  4. mug — to rob
  5. date — the fruit
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. mug — a face
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. wind — moving air
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. content — the amount
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. stem — to come from
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. season — of the year
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. content — happy
  24. mug — a cup

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