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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 116 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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. spell — letters
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. snap — to click
  6. land — a country
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. saw — the tool
  9. land — ground
  10. spell — a short time
  11. land — to come down
  12. fork — in a road
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. saw — the tool
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. stem — to come from

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