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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. spell — magic
  3. spell — letters
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. lean — thin
  6. saw — the tool
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. mark — a trace
  11. stem — to come from
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. spring — the season
  14. spring — a coil
  15. file — a tool
  16. mark — a grade
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. file — a document
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. spring — of water
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. file — a line of people
  23. lean — to bend
  24. saw — the tool

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