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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 didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. pop — soda
  3. pop — to visit
  4. spell — a short time
  5. pop — music
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. scale — in music
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. spell — letters
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. wake — a trail
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. spell — magic
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. stem — to come from
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. scale — size or range
  24. stem — of a plant

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