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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. fork — in a road
  5. spell — magic
  6. rush — hurry
  7. stem — to come from
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. spell — a short time
  11. wind — moving air
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. perch — the fish
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. wind — moving air
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. vault — a safe
  24. fork — a garden tool

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