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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 120 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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. spring — the season
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. wound — an injury
  5. root — the cause
  6. degree — temperature
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. root — of a word
  11. wound — an injury
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. craft — boats
  14. root — of a plant
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. foot — a measure
  17. craft — a skill
  18. degree — an amount
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. spring — a coil
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. degree — from a university
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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