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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. spell — letters
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. shower — to wash
  6. content — the amount
  7. stem — to come from
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. swing — to play on
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. spell — a short time
  14. swing — music
  15. swing — in golf
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. content — happy
  19. shower — rain
  20. spell — magic
  21. wake — a trail
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. wound — an injury
  24. stem — of a plant

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