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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. root — of a word
  3. root — the cause
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. pit — in a race
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. ball — a dance
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. pit — a hole
  11. rush — hurry
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. ball — a great time
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. root — of a plant
  17. spring — a coil
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. wax — to grow
  20. spring — the season
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. bark — to shout

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