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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 hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. root — of a word
  6. race — a contest
  7. bore — to tire
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. root — of a plant
  11. bore — to drill
  12. fall — the season
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. race — the arms race
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. fall — to drop
  19. fall — to drop
  20. spring — the season
  21. deal — to handle
  22. root — the cause
  23. spring — a coil
  24. race — humankind

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