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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. spell — a short time
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. cold — not warm
  6. cold — an illness
  7. stem — to come from
  8. spell — magic
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. current — electric
  12. game — a match
  13. current — of water
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. current — happening now
  16. game — wild animals
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. dip — to sink
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. spell — letters
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. dip — a sauce

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