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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. stem — to come from
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. foot — a measure
  6. spell — magic
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. rock — music
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. rock — a stone
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. game — a match
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. game — wild animals
  20. spell — letters
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. stem — a stem cell

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