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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. mine — for digging
  3. cell — in biology
  4. root — of a word
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. spring — the season
  7. prune — to trim
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. spring — of water
  10. stock — goods
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. spring — a coil
  14. root — the cause
  15. stock — shares
  16. rush — hurry
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. prune — to trim
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. root — of a plant
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. mouse — the animal

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