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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: scale · mate · bound · straw · toast · kick · content · stem

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. bound — obliged
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. mate — to breed
  5. content — the amount
  6. mate — a partner
  7. scale — in music
  8. bound — tied together
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. scale — size or range
  12. bound — certain
  13. kick — in football
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. mate — a friend
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. content — happy
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. toast — bread
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. content — videos and posts
  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