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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. spell — magic
  3. mine — for digging
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. stem — to come from
  6. spell — a short time
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. wound — an injury
  10. sharp — clever
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. mug — to rob
  14. wound — an injury
  15. vault — a safe
  16. mug — a face
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. mug — a cup
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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