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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 124 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 flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. spring — a coil
  3. season — of the year
  4. root — of a plant
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. wound — an injury
  7. root — of a word
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. row — to paddle
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. pound — a weight
  14. root — the cause
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. wound — an injury
  17. spring — of water
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. chair — a leader
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. row — a line
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. season — in sport

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