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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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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: stand · root · wake · stick · cold · spring · rush · foot

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. foot — a measure
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. spring — the season
  6. spring — of water
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. root — of a word
  10. wake — a trail
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. stand — to bear
  19. rush — hurry
  20. root — the cause
  21. root — of a plant
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. cold — not warm
  24. cold — an illness

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