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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: mug · stem · wave · tube · hand · content · land · present

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. present — there
  3. content — happy
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. land — ground
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. stem — to come from
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. hand — in cards
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. content — the amount
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. land — to come down
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. present — the time now
  16. present — a gift
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. mug — to rob
  20. land — a country
  21. mug — a cup
  22. tube — the underground
  23. hand — help
  24. tube — a container

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