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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: spell · land · mouse · root · saw · roll · cold · ruler

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. root — of a plant
  4. land — ground
  5. saw — the tool
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. cold — not warm
  8. cold — an illness
  9. land — to come down
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. spell — magic
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. saw — the tool
  16. root — the cause
  17. roll — a cake
  18. land — a country
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. roll — a list
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. spell — letters
  24. spell — a short time

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