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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. rest — a break
  3. rest — what's left
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. spell — letters
  6. spell — magic
  7. rash — hasty
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. root — of a word
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. band — a ring
  12. spell — a short time
  13. rest — what's left
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. band — a music group
  18. season — of the year
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. root — of a plant
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. rash — a series
  23. root — the cause
  24. season — in sport

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