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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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. root — of a plant
  3. spell — letters
  4. hand — in cards
  5. charge — in control
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. root — the cause
  8. charge — a price
  9. hand — help
  10. spell — a short time
  11. charge — electricity
  12. bound — certain
  13. craft — boats
  14. root — of a word
  15. craft — a skill
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. spell — magic
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. bound — tied together
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. bound — obliged
  24. craft — a handicraft

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