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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. drill — the tool
  4. drill — army training
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. spell — letters
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. squash — the sport
  11. drill — a practice
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. lie — to recline
  15. swing — to play on
  16. stem — to come from
  17. squash — to crush
  18. swing — music
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. saw — the tool
  21. spell — magic
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. swing — in golf
  24. spell — a short time

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