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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. squash — to crush
  3. spring — a coil
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. fall — the season
  9. fall — to drop
  10. spring — the season
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. fall — to drop
  13. spell — magic
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. spell — letters
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. squash — the sport
  20. pass — a permit
  21. spring — of water
  22. spell — a short time
  23. stem — to come from
  24. pass — to spend time

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