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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. kid — to tease
  3. root — the cause
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. root — of a word
  7. perch — the fish
  8. firm — a company
  9. root — of a plant
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. firm — steady
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. shower — to wash
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. firm — decided
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. spell — a short time
  19. spell — letters
  20. kid — child
  21. shower — rain
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. leaves — of a tree

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