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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: march · wave · ruler · spell · game · last · roll · root

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. root — the cause
  3. spell — letters
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. spell — magic
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. roll — a list
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. game — wild animals
  10. last — to go on
  11. march — the month
  12. march — the month
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. last — final
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. last — finally
  17. game — a match
  18. root — of a plant
  19. root — of a word
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. march — music
  22. spell — a short time
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. ruler — for measuring

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