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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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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: stick · ground · tear · cabinet · content · mate · saw · club

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. content — the amount
  3. mate — to breed
  4. tear — to rip
  5. content — happy
  6. mate — a partner
  7. tear — from crying
  8. club — a group
  9. club — for golf
  10. ground — crushed
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. ground — the earth
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. club — for dancing
  20. tear — from crying
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. mate — a friend
  23. saw — the tool
  24. ground — a position

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