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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. spell — magic
  3. spell — a short time
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. bark — to shout
  6. ball — a great time
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. season — in sport
  9. can — a tin
  10. root — the cause
  11. root — of a word
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. bound — certain
  16. can — a tin
  17. ball — a dance
  18. bound — obliged
  19. root — of a plant
  20. can — to be able to
  21. snap — to click
  22. season — of the year
  23. spell — letters
  24. bound — tied together

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