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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.

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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. spell — magic
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. swing — to play on
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. root — of a word
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. stem — to come from
  11. root — of a plant
  12. root — the cause
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. wind — moving air
  15. scale — in music
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. swing — music
  19. spell — a short time
  20. spell — letters
  21. wind — moving air
  22. swing — in golf
  23. foot — a measure
  24. bowl — a football final

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