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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: jam · content · field · snap · craft · lean · stem · bore

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. field — for sport
  3. content — the amount
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. lean — to bend
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. bore — to drill
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. craft — a skill
  15. stem — to come from
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. field — farmland
  18. snap — to click
  19. craft — boats
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. lean — thin
  22. bore — to tire
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. field — a subject

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