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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.

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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: mouse · court · wake · march · spell · season · root · pop

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. spell — magic
  3. root — the cause
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. pop — to visit
  6. pop — music
  7. season — of the year
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. spell — a short time
  10. pop — soda
  11. spell — letters
  12. court — of law
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. root — of a plant
  16. season — in sport
  17. march — music
  18. root — of a word
  19. wake — a trail
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. march — the month
  22. court — of a king
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. march — the month

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