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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. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. last — final
  3. clip — for paper
  4. spell — magic
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. spring — of water
  7. clip — a video
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. root — the cause
  10. press — newspapers
  11. spell — a short time
  12. pound — a weight
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. last — to go on
  15. root — of a word
  16. spring — a coil
  17. clip — to cut
  18. stock — goods
  19. press — a publisher
  20. press — to push
  21. spring — the season
  22. spell — letters
  23. stock — shares
  24. last — finally

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