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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  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. spell — magic
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. spell — letters
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. field — a subject
  8. stem — to come from
  9. capital — a city
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. spell — a short time
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. foot — a measure
  15. toast — bread
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. field — farmland
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. capital — money
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. field — for sport
  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