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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 116 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 surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. root — of a word
  4. pop — music
  5. deal — to handle
  6. last — finally
  7. last — final
  8. pop — soda
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. root — the cause
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. pop — to visit
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. bore — to tire
  19. root — of a plant
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. bore — to drill
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. last — to go on
  24. bore — gave birth

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