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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 120 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. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. field — farmland
  3. row — to paddle
  4. last — final
  5. spell — a short time
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. spell — magic
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. rush — hurry
  10. field — for sport
  11. last — to go on
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. root — of a plant
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. field — a subject
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. root — of a word
  21. spell — letters
  22. row — a line
  23. last — finally
  24. nail — on a finger

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