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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: root · spring · ground · land · deal · coach · key · stick

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. spring — a coil
  3. land — a country
  4. ground — the earth
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. key — the most important part
  7. land — ground
  8. root — of a word
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. land — to come down
  11. root — the cause
  12. spring — the season
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. ground — a position
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. key — for a lock
  20. ground — crushed
  21. root — of a plant
  22. spring — of water
  23. deal — to handle
  24. key — in music

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