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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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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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. root — of a plant
  3. scale — size or range
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. spell — a short time
  6. mug — a cup
  7. mug — a face
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. snap — to click
  11. cell — in biology
  12. face — part of the head
  13. cell — a phone
  14. bear — the animal
  15. mug — to rob
  16. scale — in music
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. face — to point toward
  19. spell — magic
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. bear — the animal
  22. spell — letters
  23. root — the cause
  24. face — to confront

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