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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: mark · shower · bound · drill · deal · mouse · stem · content

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. mark — a grade
  5. bound — obliged
  6. stem — to come from
  7. shower — rain
  8. drill — a practice
  9. deal — to handle
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. bound — certain
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. bound — tied together
  16. drill — army training
  17. shower — to wash
  18. mark — a trace
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. content — happy
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. drill — the tool

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