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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. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. root — of a word
  3. spring — of water
  4. squash — the sport
  5. root — of a plant
  6. present — there
  7. drill — the tool
  8. hand — in cards
  9. present — the time now
  10. spring — a coil
  11. spell — magic
  12. hand — help
  13. spring — the season
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. ball — a dance
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. drill — a practice
  18. drill — army training
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. squash — to crush
  21. spell — a short time
  22. ball — a great time
  23. spell — letters
  24. present — a gift

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