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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: staff · ball · spring · pit · deal · leaves · nail · root

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. spring — a coil
  3. staff — a stick
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. deal — to handle
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. root — of a plant
  8. root — of a word
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. spring — of water
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. pit — in a race
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. staff — employees
  16. root — the cause
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. staff — employees
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. ball — a great time
  22. pit — a hole
  23. ball — a dance
  24. ball — a round shape

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