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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. root — of a plant
  5. mark — a grade
  6. current — electric
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. current — of water
  9. band — a music group
  10. current — happening now
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. mark — a trace
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. can — to be able to
  15. can — a tin
  16. bore — to tire
  17. bore — to drill
  18. can — a tin
  19. spell — magic
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. root — the cause
  22. band — a ring
  23. spell — a short time
  24. root — of a word

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