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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. cell — a phone
  4. deal — to handle
  5. spell — magic
  6. root — of a plant
  7. lean — thin
  8. bulb — for light
  9. clip — for paper
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. bulb — for light
  13. root — the cause
  14. spell — letters
  15. root — of a word
  16. cell — in biology
  17. clip — a video
  18. lean — to bend
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. march — the month
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. march — music
  23. clip — to cut
  24. march — the month

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