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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 need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. spell — magic
  3. prune — to trim
  4. drill — army training
  5. charge — in control
  6. pop — to visit
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. net — for catching
  10. root — the cause
  11. root — of a plant
  12. spell — a short time
  13. net — in sport
  14. prune — to trim
  15. drill — a practice
  16. net — after costs
  17. pop — soda
  18. charge — a price
  19. charge — electricity
  20. pop — music
  21. spell — letters
  22. date — the fruit
  23. root — of a word
  24. date — on the calendar

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