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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
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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: date · field · bound · root · rock · kid · spell · row

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. date — the fruit
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. root — of a plant
  5. rock — a stone
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. rock — music
  8. row — to paddle
  9. spell — a short time
  10. bound — certain
  11. field — farmland
  12. bound — tied together
  13. field — for sport
  14. row — a line
  15. spell — letters
  16. root — the cause
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. kid — child
  19. kid — to tease
  20. field — a subject
  21. root — of a word
  22. bound — obliged
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. rock — to move gently

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