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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.

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 · mine · stock · squash · pound · ball · tear · root

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. root — of a word
  3. tear — to rip
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. pound — a weight
  7. root — of a plant
  8. stock — shares
  9. spell — magic
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. stock — goods
  12. tear — from crying
  13. ball — a great time
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. tear — from crying
  17. ball — a dance
  18. spell — letters
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. mine — for digging
  21. squash — the sport
  22. spell — a short time
  23. root — the cause
  24. squash — to crush

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