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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: mouse · prune · saw · stem · firm · spell · bat · rule

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. rule — government
  4. stem — to come from
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. firm — steady
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. saw — the tool
  13. saw — the tool
  14. prune — to trim
  15. firm — decided
  16. rule — a law
  17. firm — a company
  18. prune — to trim
  19. spell — a short time
  20. bat — the animal
  21. spell — magic
  22. spell — letters
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. bat — in an idiom

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