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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: content · firm · cue · wind · bear · season · stem · game

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. game — a match
  3. firm — steady
  4. wind — moving air
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. bear — the animal
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. content — the amount
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. season — of the year
  11. firm — decided
  12. bear — the animal
  13. stem — to come from
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. content — happy
  16. game — wild animals
  17. season — in sport
  18. cue — a signal
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. wind — moving air
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. cue — for pool
  24. firm — a company

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