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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.

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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 · plane · wind · deal · stem · mouse · perch · swing

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  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. wind — to turn a key
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. wind — moving air
  8. swing — in golf
  9. spell — letters
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. stem — to come from
  12. plane — a tool
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. perch — the fish
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. spell — a short time
  17. deal — to handle
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. spell — magic
  20. wind — moving air
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. swing — music
  23. swing — to play on
  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