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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 116 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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. face — to confront
  3. spell — magic
  4. spell — letters
  5. tear — to rip
  6. spell — a short time
  7. face — part of the head
  8. tear — from crying
  9. pound — a weight
  10. root — the cause
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. face — to point toward
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. pop — music
  17. root — of a word
  18. pop — soda
  19. rash — hasty
  20. wake — a trail
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. tear — from crying
  23. rash — a series
  24. root — of a plant

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