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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: roll · key · content · bear · stem · tube · wake · cold

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. cold — not warm
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. tube — a container
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. key — for a lock
  11. cold — an illness
  12. wake — a trail
  13. tube — the underground
  14. roll — a list
  15. stem — to come from
  16. roll — a cake
  17. content — happy
  18. bear — the animal
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. key — in music
  22. bear — the animal
  23. key — the most important part
  24. stem — a stem cell

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