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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: fine · spring · chest · dip · cell · club · saw · root

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. saw — the tool
  3. root — of a plant
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. cell — a phone
  6. spring — a coil
  7. chest — a box
  8. fine — all right
  9. root — the cause
  10. dip — to sink
  11. chest — of your body
  12. chest — of your body
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. cell — in biology
  16. saw — the tool
  17. spring — of water
  18. club — for dancing
  19. fine — high quality
  20. club — a group
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. spring — the season
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. root — of a word

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