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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: bore · stem · content · mine · lean · mark · net · land

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. mark — a trace
  3. net — for catching
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. mark — a grade
  6. bore — to tire
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. land — ground
  9. land — a country
  10. bore — to drill
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. lean — thin
  13. content — the amount
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. land — to come down
  16. content — happy
  17. net — in sport
  18. mine — for digging
  19. net — after costs
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. lean — to bend
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. lean — to rest against

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