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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: mouse · foot · hide · stem · cold · row · spell · fine

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. fine — high quality
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. cold — an illness
  7. cold — not warm
  8. stem — to come from
  9. fine — all right
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. spell — magic
  14. spell — letters
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. row — to paddle
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. spell — a short time
  22. row — a line
  23. foot — a measure
  24. stem — of a plant

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