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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. spring — of water
  4. spring — a coil
  5. roll — a cake
  6. craft — a skill
  7. season — in sport
  8. ball — a dance
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. craft — boats
  13. season — of the year
  14. kick — in football
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. spring — the season
  17. root — the cause
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. root — of a word
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. root — of a plant
  24. roll — a list

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