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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. spell — a short time
  3. spell — letters
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. spell — magic
  6. spring — of water
  7. root — of a word
  8. net — in sport
  9. mine — for digging
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. spring — the season
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. spring — a coil
  16. root — of a plant
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. plane — a tool
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. root — the cause
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. net — for catching
  24. net — after costs

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