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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 120 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: court · content · stem · mine · suit · bear · wave · deal

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. bear — the animal
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. court — for sport
  9. stem — to come from
  10. suit — clothes
  11. content — happy
  12. suit — to fit
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. suit — in cards
  16. bear — the animal
  17. court — of law
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. mine — for digging
  20. deal — to handle
  21. content — the amount
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. court — of a king

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