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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: club · leaves · hide · spell · mine · pop · stem · pitcher

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. club — for dancing
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. mine — for digging
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. spell — magic
  9. pop — music
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. stem — to come from
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. pop — soda
  16. spell — letters
  17. club — a group
  18. spell — a short time
  19. pop — to visit
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. club — for golf
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. stem — a stem cell

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