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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 sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. spell — magic
  3. drill — a practice
  4. stem — to come from
  5. wind — moving air
  6. mug — a face
  7. bulb — for light
  8. drill — army training
  9. mug — to rob
  10. bulb — for light
  11. mug — a cup
  12. spell — a short time
  13. drill — the tool
  14. wind — moving air
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. net — after costs
  17. net — for catching
  18. spell — letters
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. net — in sport
  21. rush — hurry
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. rush — a thrill

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