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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. squash — the sport
  3. spell — a short time
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. root — of a word
  9. wind — moving air
  10. band — a music group
  11. prune — to trim
  12. squash — to crush
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. prune — to trim
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. root — of a plant
  18. wind — moving air
  19. band — a ring
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. spell — magic
  23. root — the cause
  24. spell — letters

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