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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. root — of a word
  3. land — to come down
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. land — ground
  7. wake — a trail
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. root — the cause
  11. spell — a short time
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. land — a country
  14. scale — in music
  15. spell — magic
  16. bound — obliged
  17. root — of a plant
  18. scale — size or range
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. bore — to drill
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. bore — to tire
  23. spell — letters
  24. bound — tied together

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