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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: wake · stem · pass · jam · hand · spell · object · bulb

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. hand — help
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. spell — a short time
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. object — a thing
  9. pass — a permit
  10. stem — to come from
  11. hand — in cards
  12. spell — magic
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. object — to protest
  17. spell — letters
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. object — an aim
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. bulb — for light
  23. wake — a trail
  24. bulb — for light

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