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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. spring — the season
  3. spring — of water
  4. saw — the tool
  5. cue — for pool
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. saw — the tool
  8. cue — a signal
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. swing — to play on
  11. root — of a plant
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. rash — a series
  15. rash — hasty
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. root — of a word
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. cue — a hint
  21. swing — music
  22. root — the cause
  23. swing — in golf
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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