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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: straw · root · spell · pound · spring · bore · cold · jam

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. spell — letters
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. bore — to tire
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. root — the cause
  7. root — of a plant
  8. spell — a short time
  9. spring — the season
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. spring — a coil
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. spell — magic
  14. root — of a word
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. spring — of water
  17. cold — an illness
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. pound — a weight
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. cold — not warm
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. bore — to drill
  24. pound — to hit hard

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