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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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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 · present · rule · wind · club · root · stick · squash

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. squash — the sport
  3. present — the time now
  4. squash — to crush
  5. spring — the season
  6. spring — of water
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. root — the cause
  9. rule — a law
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. wind — moving air
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. present — there
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. club — a group
  16. rule — government
  17. club — for golf
  18. spring — a coil
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. club — for dancing
  21. root — of a word
  22. present — a gift
  23. root — of a plant
  24. squash — the vegetable

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