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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  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. spell — a short time
  2. spell — magic
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. track — to keep track
  5. track — a path
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. cell — in biology
  8. spell — letters
  9. key — the most important part
  10. hand — in cards
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. stem — to come from
  13. track — a song
  14. mug — a cup
  15. hand — help
  16. cell — a phone
  17. mug — a face
  18. shower — to wash
  19. key — in music
  20. key — for a lock
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. shower — rain
  23. mug — to rob
  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