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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 116 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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. spell — letters
  3. saw — the tool
  4. cue — a hint
  5. craft — boats
  6. tear — from crying
  7. saw — the tool
  8. root — of a word
  9. craft — a skill
  10. root — the cause
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. spring — the season
  13. tear — from crying
  14. cue — for pool
  15. spell — magic
  16. root — of a plant
  17. spring — a coil
  18. cue — a signal
  19. spring — of water
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. tear — to rip
  22. season — of the year
  23. spell — a short time
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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