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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  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. rash — hasty
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. spell — letters
  4. mate — a partner
  5. lie — to recline
  6. root — the cause
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. root — of a word
  9. spell — a short time
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. mate — a friend
  13. mate — to breed
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. spell — magic
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. saw — the tool
  18. saw — the tool
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. root — of a plant
  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