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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. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. rest — a break
  3. spell — magic
  4. root — of a word
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. row — a line
  8. root — the cause
  9. pit — a hole
  10. cue — a signal
  11. rest — what's left
  12. spring — of water
  13. cue — for pool
  14. spring — a coil
  15. pit — in a race
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. cue — a hint
  18. spring — the season
  19. row — to paddle
  20. foot — a measure
  21. rest — what's left
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. spell — a short time
  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