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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 120 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
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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 · lie · object · rock · game · degree · mine · root

  1. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. object — an aim
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. spring — a coil
  5. mine — for digging
  6. root — the cause
  7. rock — music
  8. rock — a stone
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. degree — temperature
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. root — of a word
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. lie — to recline
  16. object — to protest
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. spring — of water
  19. spring — the season
  20. degree — an amount
  21. game — wild animals
  22. degree — from a university
  23. game — a match
  24. object — a thing

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