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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. spell — magic
  6. can — a tin
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. roll — a list
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. tear — from crying
  12. spell — a short time
  13. tear — to rip
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. roll — a cake
  17. can — to be able to
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. tear — from crying
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. stem — to come from
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. can — a tin

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