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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 116 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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. spell — a short time
  3. spell — magic
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. march — the month
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. dip — to sink
  9. mark — a trace
  10. rest — what's left
  11. march — the month
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. swing — in golf
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. rest — a break
  16. mark — a grade
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. swing — music
  19. rest — what's left
  20. march — music
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. stem — to come from
  23. swing — to play on
  24. trunk — of a tree

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