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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 120 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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. root — of a word
  4. root — the cause
  5. spell — magic
  6. net — in sport
  7. rule — government
  8. rule — a law
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. spell — a short time
  12. spell — letters
  13. net — for catching
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. root — of a plant
  16. shower — rain
  17. bear — the animal
  18. bear — the animal
  19. pop — to visit
  20. net — after costs
  21. shower — to wash
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. pop — soda
  24. pop — music

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