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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. wake — a trail
  4. stem — to come from
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. can — to be able to
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. spell — magic
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. scale — size or range
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. can — a tin
  13. spell — letters
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. can — a tin
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. spell — a short time
  18. scale — in music
  19. stand — to bear
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. hand — in cards
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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