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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. spell — letters
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. spell — magic
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. rock — a stone
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. swing — to play on
  11. stem — to come from
  12. wound — an injury
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. rock — music
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. shower — to wash
  17. spell — a short time
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. swing — in golf
  20. swing — music
  21. wound — an injury
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. shower — rain
  24. fan — a supporter

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