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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. rock — a stone
  3. hand — help
  4. hand — in cards
  5. spring — the season
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. bank — for money
  9. spring — of water
  10. root — the cause
  11. bank — for money
  12. roll — a list
  13. root — of a word
  14. root — of a plant
  15. roll — a cake
  16. deal — to handle
  17. spring — a coil
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. bank — of a river
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. season — of the year
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. season — in sport

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