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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. bank — for money
  4. board — to get on
  5. stem — to come from
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. row — to paddle
  8. hand — help
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. bank — for money
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. spell — letters
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. hand — in cards
  18. row — a line
  19. board — a committee
  20. spell — a short time
  21. cell — a phone
  22. cell — in biology
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. bank — of a river

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