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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. spell — letters
  3. bass — low music
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. bass — the fish
  6. root — of a word
  7. lean — to bend
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. tube — the underground
  10. lean — thin
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. tube — a container
  13. dip — to sink
  14. spell — magic
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. root — of a plant
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. root — the cause

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