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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. spell — magic
  3. cap — a lid
  4. saw — the tool
  5. cap — a hat
  6. last — to go on
  7. toast — bread
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. last — final
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. row — a line
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. stem — to come from
  16. cap — of ice
  17. spell — letters
  18. stock — goods
  19. stock — shares
  20. saw — the tool
  21. spell — a short time
  22. last — finally
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. row — a quarrel

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