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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  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. spell — letters
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. cue — a hint
  5. fall — the season
  6. fall — to drop
  7. pass — a permit
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. snap — to click
  10. spell — magic
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. cue — a signal
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. stem — to come from
  17. cue — for pool
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. fall — to drop
  20. spell — a short time
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  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