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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. saw — the tool
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. game — a match
  7. spell — magic
  8. root — of a plant
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. sharp — clever
  11. saw — the tool
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. band — a music group
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. spell — letters
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. root — the cause
  18. band — a ring
  19. game — wild animals
  20. deal — to handle
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. root — of a word
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. game — a kind of play

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