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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.

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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: bear · hide · spell · bay · staff · root · mine · snap

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. spell — magic
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. mine — for digging
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. staff — employees
  9. root — of a plant
  10. spell — a short time
  11. staff — employees
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. staff — a stick
  15. bear — the animal
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. root — the cause
  19. bear — the animal
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. root — of a word
  23. spell — letters
  24. hide — animal skin

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