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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: ruler · stem · swing · wind · file · spell

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. spell — letters
  3. swing — music
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. spell — magic
  8. wind — moving air
  9. file — a line of people
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. swing — in golf
  12. file — a document
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. stem — to come from
  16. file — a tool
  17. spell — a short time
  18. swing — to play on

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