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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: stand · bat · stem · mark · object · roll · face · content

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. stem — to come from
  3. object — a thing
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. object — an aim
  6. mark — a grade
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. roll — a list
  9. object — to protest
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. mark — a trace
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. roll — a cake
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. face — to point toward
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. bat — the animal
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. face — to confront
  21. content — the amount
  22. stand — to bear
  23. face — part of the head
  24. bat — for baseball

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