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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 ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. stem — to come from
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. saw — the tool
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. chip — to eat
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. cell — a phone
  9. chip — for betting
  10. spell — letters
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. cell — in biology
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. snap — to click
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. spell — a short time
  20. saw — the tool
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. spell — magic
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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