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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: racket · ruler · stem · firm · last · content · straw · season

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. season — in sport
  7. last — to go on
  8. stem — to come from
  9. season — of the year
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. content — happy
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. firm — a company
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. last — final
  18. last — finally
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. firm — steady
  24. firm — decided

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