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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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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 · snap · spell · jam · wind · mine · ground · mate

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. spell — magic
  3. wind — moving air
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. ground — a position
  6. mine — for digging
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. root — the cause
  9. wind — moving air
  10. root — of a word
  11. snap — to click
  12. mate — to breed
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. spell — a short time
  15. mate — a partner
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. root — of a plant
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. mate — a friend
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. spell — letters
  22. ground — the earth
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. ground — crushed

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