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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  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. mouse — for a computer
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. land — ground
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. spell — letters
  8. spell — magic
  9. tear — from crying
  10. land — to come down
  11. rush — hurry
  12. pop — to visit
  13. stem — to come from
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. pop — soda
  16. spell — a short time
  17. tear — to rip
  18. land — a country
  19. tear — from crying
  20. pop — music
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. stem — of a plant
  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