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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 116 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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. perch — the fish
  4. spell — letters
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. stem — to come from
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. mine — for digging
  13. spell — magic
  14. object — to protest
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. object — an aim
  18. wound — an injury
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. wound — an injury
  24. object — a thing

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