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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. mark — a grade
  3. pop — soda
  4. key — for a lock
  5. bank — for money
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. root — of a plant
  8. key — in music
  9. key — the most important part
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. spell — magic
  12. pop — to visit
  13. root — the cause
  14. bank — for money
  15. bank — of a river
  16. drill — a practice
  17. spell — letters
  18. hand — in cards
  19. hand — help
  20. drill — the tool
  21. drill — army training
  22. spell — a short time
  23. pop — music
  24. mark — a trace

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