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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. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. spell — letters
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. bear — the animal
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. root — of a plant
  8. spell — a short time
  9. root — of a word
  10. mark — a trace
  11. bear — the animal
  12. fall — to drop
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. root — the cause
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. fall — the season
  17. mine — for digging
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. fall — to drop
  20. spell — magic
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. mark — a grade

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