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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 120 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: mate · mine · ball · spell · tear · stem · perch · tube

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. ball — a great time
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. mine — for digging
  6. tear — from crying
  7. spell — letters
  8. perch — the fish
  9. spell — a short time
  10. tear — from crying
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. ball — a dance
  14. spell — magic
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. tube — a container
  18. stem — to come from
  19. mate — a friend
  20. mate — to breed
  21. tube — the underground
  22. mate — a partner
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. tear — to rip

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