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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: spell · ball · game · tear · rush · pop · stem · ruler

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. spell — a short time
  3. tear — from crying
  4. ball — a dance
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. rush — hurry
  7. spell — magic
  8. ball — a great time
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. tear — from crying
  12. stem — to come from
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. spell — letters
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. game — wild animals
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. pop — to visit
  22. tear — to rip
  23. game — a match
  24. pop — soda

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