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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. spell — letters
  4. land — ground
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. land — a country
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. wound — an injury
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. ball — a great time
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. ball — a dance
  17. spell — magic
  18. stem — to come from
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. land — to come down
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. wound — an injury

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