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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: bear · spell · firm · squash · pit · last · stem · wake

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. firm — steady
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. pit — a hole
  6. last — finally
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. wake — a trail
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. stem — to come from
  11. bear — the animal
  12. firm — a company
  13. last — final
  14. squash — to crush
  15. bear — the animal
  16. firm — decided
  17. squash — the sport
  18. pit — in a race
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. spell — a short time
  21. spell — letters
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. spell — magic
  24. last — to go on

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