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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. rush — hurry
  3. root — of a plant
  4. bear — the animal
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. spring — the season
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. spring — a coil
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. root — of a word
  13. chair — a leader
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. bear — the animal
  16. spring — of water
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. root — the cause
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. content — the amount
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. content — happy
  24. ruler — for measuring

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