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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. drill — army training
  4. spell — magic
  5. stem — to come from
  6. drill — the tool
  7. saw — the tool
  8. saw — the tool
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. spell — a short time
  12. suit — in cards
  13. pop — soda
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. suit — to fit
  16. drill — a practice
  17. root — of a plant
  18. pop — to visit
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. suit — clothes
  21. root — of a word
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. pop — music
  24. root — the cause

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