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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. pop — music
  3. key — for a lock
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. squash — to crush
  7. bear — the animal
  8. key — the most important part
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. pop — soda
  11. saw — the tool
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. root — the cause
  14. pop — to visit
  15. key — in music
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. root — of a plant
  18. bear — the animal
  19. squash — the sport
  20. saw — the tool
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. root — of a word
  24. mine — for digging

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