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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  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 — a short time
  2. row — a line
  3. stem — to come from
  4. ball — a great time
  5. wake — a trail
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. row — to paddle
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. spell — letters
  10. hand — in cards
  11. ball — a dance
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. hand — help
  14. board — a committee
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. spell — magic
  17. board — to get on
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. wake — before a funeral
  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