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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 120 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: mine · wound · stem · swing · cabinet · rock · content · ball

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. rock — a stone
  5. wound — an injury
  6. content — happy
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. rock — music
  9. stem — to come from
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. ball — a great time
  12. swing — music
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. ball — a dance
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. mine — for digging
  18. swing — in golf
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. swing — to play on
  21. content — the amount
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. stem — a stem cell

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