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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. fine — all right
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. spell — a short time
  5. spring — the season
  6. rock — a stone
  7. bore — to drill
  8. spring — of water
  9. spring — a coil
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. bore — to tire
  14. spell — letters
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. wake — a trail
  17. perch — the fish
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. spell — magic
  20. rock — music
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. fine — high quality
  23. stem — to come from
  24. wake — before a funeral

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