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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. root — of a word
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. row — a line
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. spell — letters
  8. root — of a plant
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. plane — a tool
  12. spell — magic
  13. root — the cause
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. face — to confront
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. face — part of the head
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. wax — to grow
  22. fork — in a road
  23. row — to paddle
  24. face — to point toward

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