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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 116 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: mark · fork · mate · board · stem · tear · content · present

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. tear — from crying
  3. board — a committee
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. mate — a friend
  6. board — to get on
  7. fork — in a road
  8. mark — a grade
  9. present — there
  10. tear — to rip
  11. tear — from crying
  12. mark — a trace
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. mate — to breed
  15. present — a gift
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. content — the amount
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. stem — to come from
  21. present — the time now
  22. content — happy
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. board — a flat piece

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