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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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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 · hand · pitch

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. spring — the season
  3. root — of a word
  4. rash — a series
  5. spring — a coil
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. spell — magic
  9. pitch — completely
  10. spell — letters
  11. drill — a practice
  12. root — the cause
  13. spring — of water
  14. spell — a short time
  15. rash — hasty
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. hand — in cards
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. drill — the tool
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. drill — army training
  23. hand — help
  24. root — of a plant

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