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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. squash — the sport
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. root — of a word
  5. lean — thin
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. root — the cause
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. spell — letters
  11. fork — in a road
  12. squash — to crush
  13. root — of a plant
  14. ground — a position
  15. ground — crushed
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. spell — magic
  20. ground — the earth
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. spell — a short time
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. lean — to bend

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