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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 116 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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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. tube — the underground
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. spell — magic
  5. spell — a short time
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. wind — moving air
  8. court — for sport
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. root — of a word
  11. root — the cause
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. tube — a container
  14. court — of a king
  15. spell — letters
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. root — of a plant
  18. court — of law

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