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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 flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. spell — a short time
  3. root — of a plant
  4. spell — magic
  5. spring — a coil
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. land — to come down
  8. file — a tool
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. file — a document
  11. spring — of water
  12. rest — what's left
  13. pass — a permit
  14. rest — a break
  15. file — a line of people
  16. rash — a series
  17. rash — hasty
  18. rest — what's left
  19. land — a country
  20. root — the cause
  21. land — ground
  22. spell — letters
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. root — of a word

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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