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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 120 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: present · pitcher · nail · content · hand · stem · can · wake

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. present — a gift
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. can — a tin
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. present — there
  10. content — happy
  11. can — a tin
  12. hand — help
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. can — to be able to
  17. stem — to come from
  18. hand — in cards
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. wake — a trail
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. present — the time now

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