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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. cap — a lid
  3. bass — the fish
  4. mate — a friend
  5. craft — a skill
  6. stem — to come from
  7. craft — boats
  8. bass — low music
  9. cold — an illness
  10. spell — magic
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. cap — of ice
  13. cap — a hat
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. mate — to breed
  16. cold — not warm
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. mate — a partner
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. spell — letters
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. stem — a stem cell

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