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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: track · root · hand · row · firm · safe · season · spring

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. spring — of water
  3. hand — help
  4. track — a path
  5. firm — a company
  6. root — of a plant
  7. root — of a word
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. row — a line
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. spring — a coil
  13. season — of the year
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. root — the cause
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. firm — steady
  18. firm — decided
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. track — a song
  21. row — to paddle
  22. track — to keep track
  23. hand — in cards
  24. season — in sport

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