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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. root — of a plant
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. spring — of water
  6. can — a tin
  7. pound — a weight
  8. fork — in a road
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. can — a tin
  11. bound — certain
  12. rest — what's left
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. can — to be able to
  16. spring — the season
  17. rest — a break
  18. bound — tied together
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. spring — a coil
  21. bound — obliged
  22. root — of a word
  23. mine — for digging
  24. root — the cause

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