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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. band — a ring
  3. season — in sport
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. dip — to sink
  7. spring — of water
  8. court — of law
  9. root — the cause
  10. root — of a plant
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. court — of a king
  13. season — of the year
  14. rock — music
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. spring — a coil
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. band — a music group
  20. court — for sport
  21. rock — a stone
  22. spring — the season
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. root — of a word

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