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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. tear — from crying
  3. board — a committee
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. root — of a word
  7. board — to get on
  8. spring — a coil
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. mate — a friend
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. mate — to breed
  13. mine — for digging
  14. cue — a hint
  15. mate — a partner
  16. spring — the season
  17. cue — for pool
  18. root — the cause
  19. tear — to rip
  20. snap — to click
  21. root — of a plant
  22. cue — a signal
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. tear — from crying

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