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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 120 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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. rest — what's left
  3. spring — the season
  4. spring — of water
  5. spring — a coil
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. rest — what's left
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. stem — to come from
  11. spell — a short time
  12. rest — a break
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. hand — help
  17. vault — a safe
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. hand — in cards
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. spell — magic
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. mouse — 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