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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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468
Word bank
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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. spell — magic
  3. spring — the season
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. root — of a word
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. spring — of water
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. root — of a plant
  12. snap — to click
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. root — the cause
  16. spell — letters
  17. spring — a coil
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. spell — a short time

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