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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. ball — a dance
  3. root — the cause
  4. spell — a short time
  5. spell — letters
  6. mine — for digging
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. wound — an injury
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. ball — a great time
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. spell — magic
  17. wound — an injury
  18. root — of a word
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. root — of a plant
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. rash — hasty

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