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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: hide · fan · club · staff · content · tube · date · stem

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. club — for dancing
  5. tube — a container
  6. club — a group
  7. date — the fruit
  8. staff — a stick
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. content — the amount
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. club — for golf
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. staff — employees
  19. content — happy
  20. tube — the underground
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. staff — employees
  23. stem — to come from
  24. hide — animal skin

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