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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. prune — to trim
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. spell — magic
  6. deal — to handle
  7. prune — to trim
  8. dip — to sink
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. chip — to eat
  20. chip — for betting
  21. spell — a short time
  22. stem — to come from
  23. spell — letters
  24. fan — a supporter

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