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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. spring — a coil
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. spring — of water
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. spell — a short time
  7. toast — bread
  8. game — wild animals
  9. root — the cause
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. board — to get on
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. root — of a plant
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. spell — letters
  17. perch — the fish
  18. spring — the season
  19. board — a committee
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. root — of a word
  22. spell — magic
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. perch — for a bird

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