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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: racket · hide · content · pound · fork · key · stem · row

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. stem — to come from
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. content — happy
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. key — for a lock
  10. row — a line
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. content — the amount
  13. fork — in a road
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. row — to paddle
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. pound — a weight
  21. key — the most important part
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. key — in music

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