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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. stem — to come from
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. last — final
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. spell — magic
  8. spell — letters
  9. fork — in a road
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. snap — to click
  12. spell — a short time
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. craft — a skill
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. last — to go on
  21. craft — boats
  22. cold — not warm
  23. cold — an illness
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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