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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: chest · stem · object · last · spell · track · shower · cabinet

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. chest — of your body
  3. object — an aim
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. track — to keep track
  6. chest — of your body
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. spell — a short time
  9. track — a path
  10. object — a thing
  11. shower — rain
  12. track — a song
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. last — finally
  15. spell — letters
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. last — to go on
  18. last — final
  19. chest — a box
  20. object — to protest
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. shower — to wash
  24. stem — to come from

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