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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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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: kick · tube · wind · stem · can · content · mark · stand

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. stem — to come from
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. content — the amount
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. kick — in football
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. content — happy
  11. tube — a container
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. can — a tin
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. stand — to bear
  16. can — to be able to
  17. tube — the underground
  18. can — a tin
  19. wind — moving air
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. wind — moving air
  22. mark — a grade
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. kick — with a leg

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