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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. drill — the tool
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. root — of a plant
  5. spell — letters
  6. drill — a practice
  7. chip — to eat
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. bulb — for light
  11. spring — of water
  12. race — humankind
  13. spring — a coil
  14. root — the cause
  15. drill — army training
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. spell — magic
  18. bulb — for light
  19. spring — the season
  20. race — the arms race
  21. root — of a word
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. chip — for betting
  24. race — a contest

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