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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 120 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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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 · coach · cold · fall · ruler · spell · leaves · snap

  1. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. root — the cause
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. cold — not warm
  5. fall — to drop
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. fall — the season
  8. cold — an illness
  9. spell — letters
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. spell — magic
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. snap — to click
  16. fall — to drop
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. spell — a short time
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. root — of a word

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