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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. rock — a stone
  3. spell — magic
  4. wind — moving air
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. mug — a face
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. spell — letters
  10. spell — a short time
  11. wind — moving air
  12. pitch — completely
  13. bear — the animal
  14. mug — to rob
  15. mug — a cup
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. bear — the animal
  18. field — a subject
  19. stem — to come from
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. field — for sport
  24. field — farmland

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