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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: mate · mouse · stem · mug · mark · bark · wind · content

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. mark — a trace
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. mug — a face
  7. content — the amount
  8. mate — a partner
  9. mug — a cup
  10. wind — moving air
  11. mate — a friend
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. mug — to rob
  15. bark — to shout
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. content — happy
  20. mark — a grade
  21. stem — to come from
  22. wind — moving air
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. mouse — for a computer

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