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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. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. court — for sport
  5. perch — the fish
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. tube — the underground
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. root — of a plant
  11. root — the cause
  12. court — of a king
  13. lean — to bend
  14. spell — a short time
  15. lean — thin
  16. row — a line
  17. root — of a word
  18. row — to paddle
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. spell — magic
  22. court — of law
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. tube — a container

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