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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. staff — employees
  3. spell — a short time
  4. spell — magic
  5. spell — letters
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. bass — low music
  9. staff — a stick
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. hand — help
  12. object — an aim
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. bass — the fish
  17. staff — employees
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. hand — in cards
  20. fork — in a road
  21. stem — to come from
  22. object — to protest
  23. object — a thing
  24. wave — of the sea

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