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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: mate · pound · stem · bear · drill · content

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. mate — a friend
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. stem — to come from
  7. bear — the animal
  8. drill — a practice
  9. pound — a weight
  10. bear — the animal
  11. mate — to breed
  12. drill — the tool
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. content — happy
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. content — the amount
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. mate — a partner

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