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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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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: jam · tear · content · club · last · bat · stem · fork

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. last — finally
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. tear — to rip
  5. tear — from crying
  6. bat — the animal
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. fork — in a road
  9. stem — to come from
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. tear — from crying
  12. club — for dancing
  13. last — final
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. content — the amount
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. last — to go on
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. club — for golf
  23. content — happy
  24. club — a group

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