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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: spell · stem · fork · pop · rush · plane · pitcher · ground

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. rush — hurry
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. stem — to come from
  5. spell — magic
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. pop — soda
  11. spell — a short time
  12. pop — music
  13. ground — crushed
  14. ground — the earth
  15. ground — a position
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. plane — a tool
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. pop — to visit
  23. fork — in a road
  24. pitcher — a jug

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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