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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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. bank — for money
  4. bank — for money
  5. mate — a partner
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. root — of a plant
  8. mate — to breed
  9. root — of a word
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. toast — bread
  12. root — the cause
  13. spring — the season
  14. bank — of a river
  15. mate — a friend
  16. cell — a phone
  17. deal — to handle
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. spring — a coil
  21. spring — of water
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. cell — in biology
  24. nail — on a finger

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