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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. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. wind — moving air
  3. tube — a container
  4. wind — moving air
  5. spell — a short time
  6. roll — a cake
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. game — a match
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. spell — magic
  15. game — wild animals
  16. tube — the underground
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. roll — a list
  21. spell — letters
  22. stem — to come from
  23. kick — in football
  24. kick — with a leg

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