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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. root — of a plant
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. root — the cause
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. rush — hurry
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. season — of the year
  9. game — a match
  10. spell — a short time
  11. game — wild animals
  12. root — of a word
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. spell — magic
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. season — in sport
  24. rush — a thrill

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