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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: spring · root · spell · drill · rash · mine

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. root — of a word
  3. drill — army training
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. root — the cause
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. spring — of water
  8. root — of a plant
  9. drill — the tool
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. rash — hasty
  12. drill — a practice
  13. spell — a short time
  14. spell — magic
  15. mine — for digging
  16. spell — letters
  17. rash — a series
  18. spring — the season

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