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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 120 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. He is an ace ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. wake — a trail
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. mine — for digging
  10. stem — to come from
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. spell — a short time
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. current — happening now
  19. current — of water
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. spell — magic
  22. current — electric
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. pitcher — a jug

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