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

Word bank: swing · snap · cell · toast · wake · spring · board · root

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. root — of a plant
  3. wake — a trail
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. snap — to click
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. spring — the season
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. root — the cause
  12. spring — of water
  13. swing — in golf
  14. cell — in biology
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. cell — a phone
  17. swing — music
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. swing — to play on
  20. toast — bread
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. spring — a coil
  23. root — of a word
  24. board — a committee

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