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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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Word bank
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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: content · wake · snap · season · pitcher · stem

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. season — in sport
  4. content — the amount
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. wake — a trail
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. stem — to come from
  12. season — of the year
  13. snap — to click
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. content — happy

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