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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. root — of a word
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. root — of a plant
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. ground — the earth
  7. wax — to grow
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. spell — a short time
  10. spring — the season
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. pitch — completely
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. spring — of water
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. ground — a position
  17. kick — in football
  18. spring — a coil
  19. ground — crushed
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. root — the cause
  22. spell — letters
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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