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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: row · safe · wound · jam · mark · stem · bass · spell

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. row — a line
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. row — to paddle
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. mark — a grade
  8. mark — a trace
  9. bass — the fish
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. wound — an injury
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. wound — an injury
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. stem — to come from
  21. spell — letters
  22. bass — low music
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. spell — a short time

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