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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. track — a song
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. pass — a permit
  7. track — a path
  8. mug — to rob
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. ground — a position
  11. stem — to come from
  12. mug — a face
  13. track — to keep track
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. spell — a short time
  18. mug — a cup
  19. spell — magic
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. bulb — for light
  22. ground — the earth
  23. bulb — for light
  24. ground — crushed

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