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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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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 · wind · content · last · can · mate · chest · cue

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. last — finally
  3. cue — for pool
  4. can — to be able to
  5. wind — moving air
  6. chest — of your body
  7. content — happy
  8. mate — to breed
  9. can — a tin
  10. chest — a box
  11. cue — a signal
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. last — to go on
  15. can — a tin
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. cue — a hint
  18. stem — to come from
  19. mate — a partner
  20. content — the amount
  21. mate — a friend
  22. chest — of your body
  23. last — final
  24. wind — to turn a key

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