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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 120 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 flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. pound — a weight
  3. mine — for digging
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. root — of a plant
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. court — of law
  9. track — a path
  10. row — to paddle
  11. spring — of water
  12. root — of a word
  13. ball — a dance
  14. spring — a coil
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. court — of a king
  17. root — the cause
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. row — a line
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. track — to keep track
  22. track — a song
  23. ball — a great time
  24. court — for sport

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