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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 116 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 hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. drill — a practice
  3. bank — for money
  4. spell — magic
  5. clip — to cut
  6. root — the cause
  7. drill — the tool
  8. root — of a plant
  9. spring — the season
  10. spell — a short time
  11. spell — letters
  12. rush — hurry
  13. bank — for money
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. spring — a coil
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. prune — to trim
  19. prune — to trim
  20. drill — army training
  21. root — of a word
  22. clip — a video
  23. bank — of a river
  24. clip — for paper

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