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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. snap — to click
  3. root — of a word
  4. spring — the season
  5. charge — in control
  6. row — a line
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. spring — of water
  10. root — of a plant
  11. degree — temperature
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. charge — electricity
  14. degree — from a university
  15. bass — low music
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. degree — an amount
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. bass — the fish
  20. charge — a price
  21. row — to paddle
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. root — the cause
  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