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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. spell — magic
  4. mate — to breed
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. mate — a friend
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. track — a path
  11. mate — a partner
  12. track — a song
  13. rash — a series
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. spell — a short time
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. stem — to come from
  22. track — to keep track
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. spell — letters

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