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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. wake — a trail
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. prune — to trim
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. shower — to wash
  7. spell — magic
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. suit — clothes
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. root — of a plant
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. suit — to fit
  14. spell — letters
  15. foot — a measure
  16. root — of a word
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. shower — rain
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. spell — a short time
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. root — the cause
  24. prune — to trim

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