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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. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. spring — the season
  4. rush — hurry
  5. root — the cause
  6. ground — a position
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. mug — to rob
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. ground — crushed
  11. plane — a tool
  12. ground — the earth
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. root — of a word
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. spring — a coil
  17. mug — a cup
  18. mug — a face
  19. root — of a plant
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. hand — in cards
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. hand — help

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