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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.

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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 · mine · court · racket · wave · stem · cap · pound

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. cap — a lid
  3. spell — magic
  4. mine — for digging
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. pound — a weight
  10. spell — letters
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. court — of a king
  15. court — of law
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. cap — of ice
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. court — for sport
  22. cap — a hat
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. stem — to come from

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