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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. hand — help
  3. spring — the season
  4. deal — to handle
  5. pit — in a race
  6. spring — of water
  7. hand — in cards
  8. prune — to trim
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. prune — to trim
  14. root — of a plant
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. track — a path
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. root — the cause
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. pit — a hole
  22. root — of a word
  23. track — a song
  24. track — to keep track

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