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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. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. spell — magic
  3. rash — hasty
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. file — a document
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. spell — a short time
  8. root — of a word
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. saw — the tool
  12. saw — the tool
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. root — the cause
  15. swing — in golf
  16. file — a line of people
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. swing — music
  19. file — a tool
  20. pound — a weight
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. swing — to play on
  23. rash — a series
  24. spell — letters

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