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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. spell — magic
  10. spell — a short time
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. toast — bread
  16. branch — a division
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. root — of a plant
  19. root — of a word
  20. kick — in football
  21. spell — letters
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. root — the cause
  24. wake — a trail

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