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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. spell — a short time
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. capital — money
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. spell — magic
  10. squash — to crush
  11. rush — hurry
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. squash — the sport
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. stem — to come from
  19. spell — letters
  20. rock — a stone
  21. capital — a city
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. stem — a stem cell

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