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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 120 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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. wake — a trail
  4. root — of a plant
  5. root — the cause
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. spring — the season
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. ground — crushed
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. ground — the earth
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. fork — in a road
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. ground — a position
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. root — of a word
  23. sharp — clever
  24. spring — a coil

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