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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. spring — of water
  3. root — the cause
  4. squash — the sport
  5. root — of a plant
  6. fine — all right
  7. key — for a lock
  8. key — in music
  9. spring — a coil
  10. fine — high quality
  11. bank — of a river
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. bank — for money
  14. bank — for money
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. spring — the season
  17. file — a line of people
  18. key — the most important part
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. squash — to crush
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. file — a document
  24. root — of a word

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