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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. rock — music
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. bound — obliged
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. spring — of water
  11. spring — the season
  12. root — of a plant
  13. root — of a word
  14. root — the cause
  15. bound — certain
  16. rock — a stone
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. deal — to handle
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. bound — tied together

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