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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. saw — the tool
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. degree — from a university
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. land — a country
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. cap — a lid
  12. cap — of ice
  13. cap — a hat
  14. degree — an amount
  15. land — to come down
  16. saw — the tool
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. degree — temperature
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. stem — to come from
  21. spell — magic
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. spell — a short time
  24. land — ground

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