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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. spell — letters
  4. ball — a great time
  5. wind — moving air
  6. stem — to come from
  7. bass — the fish
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. toast — bread
  10. ball — a dance
  11. wind — moving air
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. spell — a short time
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. bass — low music
  18. spell — magic

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