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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: stem · content · ground · craft · bound · pop · tube · cell

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. content — the amount
  3. pop — to visit
  4. pop — soda
  5. pop — music
  6. cell — in biology
  7. craft — a skill
  8. tube — a container
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. ground — crushed
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. tube — the underground
  13. content — happy
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. bound — certain
  16. ground — the earth
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. craft — boats
  20. bound — tied together
  21. stem — to come from
  22. bound — obliged
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. cell — a phone

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