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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. spell — letters
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. file — a line of people
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. saw — the tool
  8. stem — to come from
  9. fine — high quality
  10. saw — the tool
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. pound — a weight
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. file — a tool
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. file — a document
  19. fine — all right
  20. spell — a short time
  21. shower — to wash
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. shower — rain

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