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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: fine · hide · fork · stem · straw · pass · leaves · content

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. content — the amount
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. fork — in a road
  10. fine — all right
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. stem — to come from
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. content — happy
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. pass — a permit

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