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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: mug · date · stem · racket · content · rest · lean · dip

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. stem — to come from
  5. rest — a break
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. mug — a face
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. content — happy
  11. lean — thin
  12. lean — to bend
  13. date — the fruit
  14. content — the amount
  15. rest — what's left
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. rest — what's left
  18. dip — to sink
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. mug — a cup
  24. lean — to rest against

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