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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. wound — an injury
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. spell — a short time
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. net — for catching
  7. content — happy
  8. track — a path
  9. track — to keep track
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. spell — letters
  12. net — in sport
  13. wound — an injury
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. content — the amount
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. track — a song
  22. net — after costs
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. stem — to come from

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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