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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. rush — hurry
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. root — of a plant
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. spell — a short time
  8. scale — in music
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. board — to get on
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. root — the cause
  16. scale — size or range
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. board — a committee
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. spell — magic
  22. pound — a weight
  23. spell — letters
  24. root — of a word

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