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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 116 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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. staff — employees
  3. spring — of water
  4. root — the cause
  5. bank — for money
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. rush — hurry
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. bank — for money
  10. root — of a word
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. staff — employees
  14. staff — a stick
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. spring — a coil
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. root — of a plant
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. spring — the season

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