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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
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: hide · spell · pitch · ruler · rash · roll · row · stem

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. spell — letters
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. stem — to come from
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. roll — a list
  7. row — a line
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. rash — hasty
  10. spell — a short time
  11. row — to paddle
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. roll — a cake
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. rash — a series
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. spell — magic
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. pitch — completely
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. ruler — a monarch

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