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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. ball — a dance
  3. root — of a word
  4. march — music
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. root — the cause
  7. spring — a coil
  8. root — of a plant
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. march — the month
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. march — the month
  13. spring — the season
  14. ball — a great time
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. bank — for money
  19. stem — to come from
  20. plane — a tool
  21. bank — for money
  22. spring — of water
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. stem — of a plant

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