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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. pound — a weight
  3. fall — the season
  4. last — to go on
  5. spell — letters
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. present — a gift
  8. root — of a plant
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. last — final
  11. can — a tin
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. can — a tin
  15. spell — magic
  16. present — the time now
  17. fall — to drop
  18. root — the cause
  19. spell — a short time
  20. root — of a word
  21. can — to be able to
  22. wake — a trail
  23. present — there
  24. fall — to drop

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