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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. fall — to drop
  5. spell — a short time
  6. stem — to come from
  7. deal — to handle
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. fall — the season
  11. spell — magic
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. fall — to drop
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. shower — rain
  19. shower — to wash
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. mate — a friend
  23. mate — to breed
  24. spell — letters

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