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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. stem — to come from
  3. tube — the underground
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. spell — a short time
  6. tube — a container
  7. content — happy
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. content — the amount
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. season — in sport
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. spell — magic
  24. season — of the year

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