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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: rock · coach · spell · deal · mate · tear · wake · root

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. rock — a stone
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. root — of a plant
  6. mate — a friend
  7. tear — from crying
  8. spell — letters
  9. spell — a short time
  10. mate — a partner
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. deal — to handle
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. root — of a word
  15. wake — a trail
  16. tear — to rip
  17. mate — to breed
  18. root — the cause
  19. tear — from crying
  20. spell — magic
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. deal — a big deal

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