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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. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. bear — the animal
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. spring — the season
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. net — for catching
  8. net — after costs
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. root — of a word
  11. spring — a coil
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. pitch — completely
  14. dip — to sink
  15. key — for a lock
  16. bear — the animal
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. spring — of water
  20. key — in music
  21. net — in sport
  22. root — of a plant
  23. key — the most important part
  24. root — the cause

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