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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 120 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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. wind — moving air
  6. stem — to come from
  7. game — a match
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. bulb — for light
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. board — to get on
  13. game — wild animals
  14. wind — moving air
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. board — a committee
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. spell — magic
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. spell — a short time
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. bulb — for light

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