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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 potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. key — for a lock
  3. chip — for betting
  4. root — of a word
  5. saw — the tool
  6. root — the cause
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. season — in sport
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. season — of the year
  11. hand — in cards
  12. wax — to grow
  13. spring — of water
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. spring — a coil
  16. hand — help
  17. root — of a plant
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. key — the most important part
  21. saw — the tool
  22. spring — the season
  23. key — in music
  24. season — to add flavour

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