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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: mate · straw · cap · rest · pound · stem · spell · bowl

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. mate — to breed
  4. spell — magic
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. rest — a break
  7. cap — a hat
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. cap — of ice
  10. spell — a short time
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. stem — to come from
  13. spell — letters
  14. mate — a friend
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. mate — a partner
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. rest — what's left
  21. cap — a lid
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. pound — a weight

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