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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: bank · mouse · root · fan · chest · club · plane · spring

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. plane — a tool
  4. chest — of your body
  5. club — for dancing
  6. root — of a plant
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. club — a group
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. spring — a coil
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. chest — a box
  14. spring — of water
  15. bank — for money
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. bank — of a river
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. root — of a word
  21. bank — for money
  22. spring — the season
  23. club — for golf
  24. root — the cause

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