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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. bank — for money
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. root — of a word
  5. kick — in football
  6. root — of a plant
  7. season — of the year
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. spring — a coil
  10. bulb — for light
  11. last — finally
  12. root — the cause
  13. last — to go on
  14. spring — the season
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. bank — for money
  17. bulb — for light
  18. season — in sport
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. last — final
  22. bank — of a river
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. racket — for tennis

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