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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. spring — a coil
  3. root — of a plant
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. mate — to breed
  8. march — music
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. kid — to tease
  11. mate — a partner
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. spring — the season
  14. mate — a friend
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. rule — government
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. root — the cause
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. root — of a word
  21. kid — child
  22. spring — of water
  23. march — the month
  24. march — the month

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