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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 120 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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. drill — a practice
  3. season — of the year
  4. drill — army training
  5. pop — soda
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. drill — the tool
  8. root — of a word
  9. root — of a plant
  10. root — the cause
  11. race — a contest
  12. pop — to visit
  13. race — the arms race
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. spell — a short time
  16. season — in sport
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. spell — letters
  19. spell — magic
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. race — humankind
  22. can — a tin
  23. can — to be able to
  24. pop — music

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