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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 120 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 kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. spell — magic
  3. object — to protest
  4. bank — of a river
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. stem — to come from
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. net — after costs
  9. spell — a short time
  10. face — to confront
  11. bank — for money
  12. face — part of the head
  13. face — to point toward
  14. object — an aim
  15. scale — size or range
  16. bank — for money
  17. scale — in music
  18. row — a line
  19. object — a thing
  20. row — to paddle
  21. net — for catching
  22. net — in sport
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. spell — letters

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