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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: content · wake · lash · stem · scale · wound · craft · bear

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. content — the amount
  3. stem — to come from
  4. wound — an injury
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. bear — the animal
  7. craft — boats
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. wake — a trail
  14. scale — size or range
  15. content — happy
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. bear — the animal
  18. wound — an injury
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. scale — in music
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. craft — a skill

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