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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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Word bank
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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: lean · rock · stem · wake · spell · tube · ball · fall

  1. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. rock — music
  3. fall — to drop
  4. fall — to drop
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. spell — magic
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. lean — thin
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. stem — to come from
  12. ball — a great time
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. tube — the underground
  15. spell — a short time
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. ball — a dance
  18. tube — a container
  19. lean — to bend
  20. wake — a trail
  21. spell — letters
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. fall — the season

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