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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 hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. spring — the season
  3. cap — of ice
  4. root — the cause
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. object — a thing
  7. season — in sport
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. cap — a hat
  14. object — to protest
  15. mine — for digging
  16. root — of a word
  17. cap — a lid
  18. season — of the year
  19. root — of a plant
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. spring — a coil
  24. object — an aim

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