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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. charge — electricity
  4. charge — a price
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. spell — a short time
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. spell — magic
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. shower — to wash
  18. stem — to come from
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. charge — in control
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. dip — to sink
  24. shower — rain

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