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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. stem — to come from
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. swing — in golf
  7. band — a ring
  8. roll — a list
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. net — after costs
  11. spell — a short time
  12. net — in sport
  13. bat — the animal
  14. spell — letters
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. band — a music group
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. swing — to play on
  20. net — for catching
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. roll — a cake
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. swing — music

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