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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: cell · ground · mouse · content · staff · firm · wound · mate

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. cell — in biology
  3. staff — employees
  4. ground — a position
  5. wound — an injury
  6. firm — decided
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. mate — a partner
  10. staff — a stick
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. ground — the earth
  13. wound — an injury
  14. cell — a phone
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. content — the amount
  17. firm — steady
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. firm — a company
  20. mate — a friend
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. content — happy
  23. ground — crushed
  24. staff — employees

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