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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. shower — to wash
  3. bound — certain
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. spell — letters
  6. spell — magic
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. foot — a measure
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. bound — obliged
  12. pit — in a race
  13. lean — thin
  14. root — of a plant
  15. firm — decided
  16. bound — tied together
  17. firm — a company
  18. firm — steady
  19. spell — a short time
  20. root — the cause
  21. lean — to bend
  22. shower — rain
  23. pit — a hole
  24. foot — part of the body

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