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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. wind — moving air
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. wind — moving air
  6. face — to point toward
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. spell — letters
  10. face — part of the head
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. rock — music
  13. ball — a great time
  14. spell — a short time
  15. face — to confront
  16. stem — to come from
  17. spell — magic
  18. track — to keep track
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. track — a path
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. rock — a stone
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. ball — a dance

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