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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 a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. board — to get on
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. file — a line of people
  5. scale — size or range
  6. saw — the tool
  7. firm — a company
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. firm — steady
  10. board — a committee
  11. scale — in music
  12. file — a document
  13. saw — the tool
  14. firm — decided
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. root — of a word
  18. root — the cause
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. spring — the season
  21. spring — of water
  22. dip — to sink
  23. file — a tool
  24. spring — a coil

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