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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. spring — a coil
  4. root — of a plant
  5. root — the cause
  6. ground — crushed
  7. track — a song
  8. root — of a word
  9. capital — money
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. ground — a position
  13. ground — the earth
  14. track — to keep track
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. spring — the season
  19. track — a path
  20. spring — of water
  21. capital — a city
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. racket — for tennis

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