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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  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. wound — an injury
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. rest — what's left
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. spring — the season
  6. spring — a coil
  7. root — of a plant
  8. spring — of water
  9. root — of a word
  10. rest — what's left
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. cue — a signal
  13. bound — tied together
  14. wound — an injury
  15. bound — obliged
  16. bound — certain
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. tube — the underground
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. rest — a break
  21. cue — a hint
  22. tube — a container
  23. cue — for pool
  24. root — the cause

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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