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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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. pop — to visit
  4. spring — of water
  5. saw — the tool
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. saw — the tool
  8. bat — the animal
  9. branch — a division
  10. root — of a plant
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. spring — the season
  13. pop — music
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. root — the cause
  17. spring — a coil
  18. mug — a cup
  19. mug — a face
  20. mug — to rob
  21. pop — soda
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. patient — a sick person

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