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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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. pop — soda
  4. root — the cause
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. spring — of water
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. scale — in music
  12. fork — in a road
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. pop — to visit
  15. land — to come down
  16. land — ground
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. scale — size or range
  19. land — a country
  20. spring — the season
  21. pop — music
  22. root — of a plant
  23. root — of a word
  24. stem — to come from

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