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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 120 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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. root — of a word
  3. clip — to cut
  4. fall — to drop
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. spell — letters
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. lean — thin
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. root — of a plant
  14. clip — for paper
  15. fall — the season
  16. spell — magic
  17. clip — a video
  18. spell — a short time
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. lean — to bend
  22. root — the cause
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. fall — to drop

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