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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. drill — a practice
  3. root — the cause
  4. track — a song
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. rash — hasty
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. ground — crushed
  9. ground — a position
  10. root — of a word
  11. track — a path
  12. spring — the season
  13. tube — the underground
  14. spring — of water
  15. rash — a series
  16. root — of a plant
  17. drill — the tool
  18. ground — the earth
  19. track — to keep track
  20. tube — a container
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. drill — army training
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. pass — a permit

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