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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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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: row · content · leaves · wake · bear · rash · fall · stem

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. rash — a series
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. wake — a trail
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. fall — to drop
  9. content — happy
  10. rash — hasty
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. fall — to drop
  14. bear — the animal
  15. bear — the animal
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. content — the amount
  19. fall — the season
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. row — a line
  23. stem — to come from
  24. row — to paddle

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