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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 hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. row — a line
  4. mate — a partner
  5. row — to paddle
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. plane — a tool
  8. spring — the season
  9. track — a path
  10. root — the cause
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. root — of a plant
  14. track — to keep track
  15. perch — the fish
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. root — of a word
  18. mate — a friend
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. track — a song
  21. spring — a coil
  22. mate — to breed
  23. bore — to drill
  24. bore — to tire

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