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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.

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: clip · ball · wound · stem · racket · bore · roll · content

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. clip — to cut
  4. wound — an injury
  5. roll — a list
  6. content — happy
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. ball — a dance
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. ball — a great time
  11. content — the amount
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. bore — to tire
  14. bore — to drill
  15. clip — a video
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. clip — for paper
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. stem — to come from
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. wound — an injury
  23. roll — a cake
  24. ball — a round shape

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