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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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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: roll · stem · mate · fall · mark · bowl · wind · can

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. can — a tin
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. mark — a trace
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. mate — to breed
  7. can — to be able to
  8. wind — moving air
  9. mate — a friend
  10. stem — to come from
  11. mark — a grade
  12. fall — to drop
  13. roll — a cake
  14. fall — the season
  15. roll — a list
  16. mate — a partner
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. wind — moving air
  20. can — a tin
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. fall — to drop
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. roll — on a roll

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