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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. spell — a short time
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. stem — to come from
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. can — a tin
  10. spell — magic
  11. can — a tin
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. can — to be able to
  15. lie — to recline
  16. fine — high quality
  17. spell — letters
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. bear — the animal
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. bear — the animal

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