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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. land — ground
  4. spring — the season
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. root — of a word
  7. season — in sport
  8. firm — a company
  9. spring — of water
  10. season — of the year
  11. root — the cause
  12. land — a country
  13. spring — a coil
  14. firm — decided
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. root — of a plant
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. wind — moving air
  22. firm — steady
  23. wind — moving air
  24. land — to come down

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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