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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.

Make a worksheet

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: fall · last · spell · pitch · mine · stem · root · ball

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. last — to go on
  3. stem — to come from
  4. spell — a short time
  5. ball — a great time
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. last — final
  8. last — finally
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. fall — the season
  12. root — the cause
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. root — of a plant
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. ball — a dance
  17. fall — to drop
  18. root — of a word
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. mine — for digging
  21. pitch — completely
  22. fall — to drop
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. spell — letters

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