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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. wound — an injury
  3. spell — magic
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. wake — a trail
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. deal — to handle
  12. rock — music
  13. spell — a short time
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. squash — the sport
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. spell — letters
  19. stem — to come from
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. rock — a stone
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. squash — to crush
  24. wound — an injury

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