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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 · stem · last · nail · wound · bowl · content · pass

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. wound — an injury
  3. last — final
  4. stem — to come from
  5. wound — an injury
  6. mark — a grade
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. last — finally
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. content — the amount
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. mark — a trace
  15. pass — a permit
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. last — to go on
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. content — happy

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