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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 120 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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. spell — a short time
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. spell — magic
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. ball — a great time
  7. ground — crushed
  8. object — to protest
  9. snap — to click
  10. root — of a plant
  11. object — a thing
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. chest — of your body
  14. root — of a word
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. branch — a division
  17. ball — a dance
  18. root — the cause
  19. chest — a box
  20. chest — of your body
  21. ground — the earth
  22. object — an aim
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. spell — letters

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