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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. wake — a trail
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. rush — hurry
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. spring — a coil
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. root — of a plant
  13. foot — a measure
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. root — of a word
  20. root — the cause
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. fork — in a road
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. spring — of water

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