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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 116 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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. perch — the fish
  5. root — the cause
  6. stem — to come from
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. mate — a partner
  9. root — of a word
  10. spell — magic
  11. ground — a position
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. ground — crushed
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. root — of a plant
  19. wake — a trail
  20. mate — to breed
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. mate — a friend
  23. spell — letters
  24. ground — the earth

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