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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: dip · kid · spell · swing · wound · stem · mouse · leaves

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. spell — letters
  3. spell — a short time
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. kid — child
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. swing — music
  8. spell — magic
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. wound — an injury
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. wound — an injury
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. swing — in golf
  19. dip — to sink
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. stem — to come from
  22. swing — to play on
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. leaves — of a tree

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