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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 · leaves · hand · stem · can · mouse · rash · wave

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. rash — hasty
  5. can — a tin
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. hand — in cards
  11. stem — to come from
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. can — a tin
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. can — to be able to
  20. content — the amount
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. hand — help
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. rash — a series

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