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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. spring — a coil
  3. mate — to breed
  4. wind — moving air
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. root — the cause
  8. root — of a word
  9. root — of a plant
  10. suit — to fit
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. spring — the season
  13. bear — the animal
  14. suit — clothes
  15. spring — of water
  16. wind — moving air
  17. bear — the animal
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. suit — in cards
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. pitch — completely
  23. plane — a tool
  24. mate — a friend

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