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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've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  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 — a short time
  2. bass — the fish
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. shower — to wash
  5. spell — magic
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. wind — moving air
  9. wind — moving air
  10. lie — to recline
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. stem — to come from
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. spell — letters
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. bass — low music
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  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