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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 no middle ________________.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  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. ground — a position
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. spring — of water
  5. degree — temperature
  6. spring — the season
  7. saw — the tool
  8. rock — music
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. ground — crushed
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. root — the cause
  13. root — of a word
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. degree — an amount
  16. ground — the earth
  17. degree — from a university
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. saw — the tool
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. spring — a coil
  22. rock — a stone
  23. root — of a plant
  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