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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. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. spell — magic
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. root — of a plant
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. snap — to click
  7. last — finally
  8. root — the cause
  9. last — final
  10. clip — a video
  11. spell — letters
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. last — to go on
  14. clip — to cut
  15. scale — in music
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. scale — size or range
  18. root — of a word
  19. pop — music
  20. pop — to visit
  21. spell — a short time
  22. clip — for paper
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. pop — soda

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