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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. hand — help
  3. mine — for digging
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. drill — a practice
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. spell — magic
  9. fine — high quality
  10. bound — obliged
  11. fine — all right
  12. drill — the tool
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. hand — in cards
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. spell — letters
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. bound — certain
  21. bound — tied together
  22. drill — army training
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. stem — to come from

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