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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. root — of a plant
  3. spell — magic
  4. drill — the tool
  5. spell — letters
  6. root — the cause
  7. field — for sport
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. clip — to cut
  10. row — a line
  11. mug — a cup
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. root — of a word
  14. clip — for paper
  15. field — farmland
  16. drill — a practice
  17. row — to paddle
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. mug — to rob
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. clip — a video
  22. spell — a short time
  23. drill — army training
  24. field — a subject

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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