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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. root — of a plant
  3. root — the cause
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. spell — letters
  7. hand — help
  8. root — of a word
  9. rest — what's left
  10. object — a thing
  11. field — a subject
  12. object — an aim
  13. field — for sport
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. spell — a short time
  16. rest — a break
  17. object — to protest
  18. wake — a trail
  19. spell — magic
  20. rest — what's left
  21. hand — in cards
  22. field — farmland
  23. cue — a signal
  24. cue — for pool

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