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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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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 · date · cabinet · cold · patient · swing · stem

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. wake — a trail
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. cold — not warm
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. cold — an illness
  13. stem — to come from
  14. swing — in golf
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. swing — music
  17. date — the fruit
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. swing — to play on
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. content — happy
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. content — videos and posts

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