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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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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: root · squash · scale · cabinet · row · wind · mouse · spell

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. root — of a word
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. wind — moving air
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. root — of a plant
  12. scale — size or range
  13. wind — moving air
  14. squash — to crush
  15. row — a line
  16. scale — in music
  17. root — the cause
  18. spell — magic
  19. spell — a short time
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. row — to paddle
  23. squash — the sport
  24. spell — letters

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