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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. club — for golf
  3. object — a thing
  4. firm — decided
  5. stem — to come from
  6. shower — rain
  7. firm — a company
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. firm — steady
  11. clip — a video
  12. club — a group
  13. club — for dancing
  14. clip — for paper
  15. spell — a short time
  16. clip — to cut
  17. spell — magic
  18. object — an aim
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. object — to protest
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. shower — to wash
  24. perch — the fish

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