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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. root — the cause
  3. spring — a coil
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. spring — of water
  8. root — of a word
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. key — in music
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. root — of a plant
  13. key — for a lock
  14. tear — from crying
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. spring — the season
  17. key — the most important part
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. tear — from crying
  21. tear — to rip
  22. wake — a trail
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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