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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. spring — of water
  3. staff — a stick
  4. track — a path
  5. current — electric
  6. track — to keep track
  7. current — happening now
  8. spring — the season
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. root — of a word
  11. rest — a break
  12. rest — what's left
  13. current — of water
  14. root — of a plant
  15. track — a song
  16. staff — employees
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. rest — what's left
  19. mate — a partner
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. mate — to breed
  22. staff — employees
  23. root — the cause
  24. mate — a friend

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