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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. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. last — to go on
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. suit — clothes
  5. clip — for paper
  6. clip — to cut
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. spell — a short time
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. clip — a video
  11. last — finally
  12. bore — to drill
  13. spell — magic
  14. stem — to come from
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. bore — to tire
  18. cell — in biology
  19. rash — a series
  20. last — final
  21. suit — in cards
  22. cell — a phone
  23. rash — hasty
  24. suit — to fit

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