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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. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. spell — letters
  3. bound — certain
  4. land — to come down
  5. band — a music group
  6. root — the cause
  7. bound — tied together
  8. land — a country
  9. land — ground
  10. pop — music
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. pop — to visit
  14. pop — soda
  15. spell — magic
  16. band — a ring
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. root — of a word
  19. bound — obliged
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. spell — a short time
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. root — of a plant

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