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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: wind · calf · mark · rash · bat · stem · saw · spell

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. wind — moving air
  4. rash — hasty
  5. mark — a trace
  6. spell — magic
  7. saw — the tool
  8. spell — letters
  9. mark — a grade
  10. stem — to come from
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. spell — a short time
  14. saw — the tool
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. bat — the animal
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. wind — moving air
  22. rash — a series
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. bat — in an idiom

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