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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 116 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: lean · game · fork · root · ground · wake · spring · firm

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. firm — steady
  3. game — wild animals
  4. firm — decided
  5. spring — of water
  6. wake — a trail
  7. firm — a company
  8. ground — a position
  9. ground — the earth
  10. game — a match
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. root — of a word
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. spring — a coil
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. ground — crushed
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. lean — thin
  19. root — the cause
  20. root — of a plant
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. fork — in a road
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. lean — to bend

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