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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. spell — magic
  3. spell — letters
  4. root — the cause
  5. root — of a plant
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. rash — a series
  9. plane — a tool
  10. bore — to tire
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. root — of a word
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. ball — a dance
  15. spring — of water
  16. saw — the tool
  17. spell — a short time
  18. rash — hasty
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. spring — the season
  21. saw — the tool
  22. spring — a coil
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. bore — to drill

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