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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. drill — army training
  4. cold — not warm
  5. drill — the tool
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. spell — letters
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. cold — an illness
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. cell — a phone
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. stem — to come from
  18. spell — a short time
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. drill — a practice
  21. cell — in biology
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. nail — on a finger

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