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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.

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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: stem · bay · game · deal · rash · content · tube · sharp

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. game — wild animals
  3. rash — a series
  4. content — happy
  5. tube — the underground
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. game — a match
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. tube — a container
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. content — the amount
  20. sharp — clever
  21. rash — hasty
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. deal — to handle
  24. stem — to come from

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