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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 120 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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  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 — a short time
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. spell — magic
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. perch — the fish
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. spell — letters
  12. shower — to wash
  13. deal — to handle
  14. wind — moving air
  15. present — the time now
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. present — a gift
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. present — there
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. wind — moving air
  22. shower — rain
  23. dip — to sink
  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