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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: nail · stem · fan · spell · rule · racket · kick · dip

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. spell — letters
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. spell — a short time
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. rule — government
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. stem — to come from
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. kick — in football
  22. dip — to sink
  23. spell — magic
  24. rule — to rule out

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