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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 speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. root — of a word
  3. track — to keep track
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. rest — what's left
  6. prune — to trim
  7. track — a song
  8. prune — to trim
  9. rash — a series
  10. bear — the animal
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. spell — a short time
  13. root — of a plant
  14. track — a path
  15. rash — hasty
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. spell — magic
  19. rest — a break
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. root — the cause
  22. spell — letters
  23. bear — the animal
  24. rest — what's left

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