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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. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. fall — to drop
  3. fall — to drop
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. spell — letters
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. spell — a short time
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. pop — soda
  11. pop — music
  12. root — of a plant
  13. wake — a trail
  14. root — the cause
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. bulb — for light
  17. bulb — for light
  18. fall — the season
  19. season — of the year
  20. root — of a word
  21. pop — to visit
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. season — in sport

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