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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: content · leaves · stem · game · pop · present · can · scale

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. game — a match
  3. present — there
  4. can — to be able to
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. content — happy
  7. pop — to visit
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. game — wild animals
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. scale — size or range
  13. present — a gift
  14. scale — in music
  15. can — a tin
  16. pop — music
  17. stem — to come from
  18. content — the amount
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. pop — soda
  24. present — the time now

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