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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 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. mine — for digging
  5. spell — a short time
  6. content — happy
  7. content — the amount
  8. spell — magic
  9. saw — the tool
  10. wake — a trail
  11. current — electric
  12. current — happening now
  13. root — of a plant
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. root — the cause
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. season — in sport
  19. spell — letters
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. season — of the year
  22. current — of water
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. saw — the tool

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