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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: row · wake · content · stem · dip · court · march · mug

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. row — a line
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. row — to paddle
  5. wake — a trail
  6. dip — to sink
  7. court — of law
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. court — for sport
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. march — the month
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. march — the month
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. content — happy
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. court — of a king
  20. march — music
  21. mug — to rob
  22. mug — a face
  23. stem — to come from
  24. mug — a cup

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