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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. root — of a word
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. root — of a plant
  5. prune — to trim
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. track — to keep track
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. cell — in biology
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. rash — hasty
  13. cell — a phone
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. bass — low music
  16. track — a song
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. track — a path
  20. bass — the fish
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. root — the cause
  23. prune — to trim
  24. rash — a series

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