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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. spell — magic
  3. hand — help
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. stem — to come from
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. row — a line
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. spell — letters
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. row — to paddle
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. rush — hurry
  20. spell — a short time
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. bark — to shout
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. hand — in cards

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