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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. spell — magic
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. cap — of ice
  7. cue — a hint
  8. spell — a short time
  9. cap — a hat
  10. cap — a lid
  11. cue — a signal
  12. stem — to come from
  13. spell — letters
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. wound — an injury
  18. cue — for pool

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