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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 116 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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. spring — the season
  3. court — of law
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. root — of a word
  6. tube — a container
  7. root — the cause
  8. rule — government
  9. bulb — for light
  10. court — of a king
  11. spring — a coil
  12. root — of a plant
  13. drill — army training
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. deal — to handle
  16. court — for sport
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. tube — the underground
  19. drill — a practice
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. rule — a law
  23. bulb — for light
  24. drill — the tool

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