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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 120 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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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: pitcher · ruler · last · content · pound · stem · stick · mate

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. last — to go on
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. last — finally
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. mate — to breed
  8. stem — to come from
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. pound — a weight
  12. mate — a partner
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. content — the amount
  17. mate — a friend
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. last — final
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. stem — a stem cell

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