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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. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. spell — magic
  3. hand — help
  4. spell — letters
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. spring — a coil
  8. root — of a word
  9. content — happy
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. present — a gift
  14. spring — the season
  15. bulb — for light
  16. spring — of water
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. hand — in cards
  19. present — the time now
  20. spell — a short time
  21. bulb — for light
  22. present — there
  23. root — the cause
  24. content — the amount

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