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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 120 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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. hand — in cards
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. lean — to bend
  6. staff — employees
  7. staff — a stick
  8. race — the arms race
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. foot — a measure
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. race — humankind
  13. hand — help
  14. staff — employees
  15. spell — letters
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. spell — a short time
  18. stem — to come from
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. mine — for digging
  22. lean — thin
  23. race — a contest
  24. mine — belonging to me

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