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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: hand · mark · stem · bulb · rush · jam · content · bear

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. bulb — for light
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. bear — the animal
  5. bulb — for light
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. hand — help
  9. bear — the animal
  10. content — happy
  11. stem — to come from
  12. rush — hurry
  13. content — the amount
  14. mark — a grade
  15. hand — in cards
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. mark — a trace
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. stem — of a plant

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