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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 120 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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. saw — the tool
  3. root — of a word
  4. staff — employees
  5. spring — the season
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. root — the cause
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. spring — of water
  10. fall — to drop
  11. staff — a stick
  12. firm — decided
  13. rash — hasty
  14. spring — a coil
  15. fall — the season
  16. root — of a plant
  17. firm — steady
  18. prune — to trim
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. rash — a series
  21. prune — to trim
  22. saw — the tool
  23. staff — employees
  24. fall — to drop

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