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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: hand · content · rock · date · wave · object · clip · stem

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. object — to protest
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. object — an aim
  6. clip — for paper
  7. rock — music
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. rock — a stone
  10. content — happy
  11. hand — in cards
  12. content — the amount
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. stem — to come from
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. object — a thing
  17. clip — to cut
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. hand — help
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. clip — a video
  24. date — the fruit

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