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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: root · cap · hand · spell · mouse · wave · field · drill

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. root — of a plant
  4. field — farmland
  5. cap — of ice
  6. field — a subject
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. field — for sport
  9. hand — in cards
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. hand — help
  12. drill — a practice
  13. root — the cause
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. spell — magic
  16. cap — a hat
  17. drill — army training
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. root — of a word
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. drill — the tool
  23. spell — a short time
  24. cap — a lid

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