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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 120 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: staff · bass · coach · spring · root · net · snap · craft

  1. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. craft — a skill
  5. snap — to click
  6. spring — of water
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. root — of a word
  9. staff — employees
  10. bass — the fish
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. spring — the season
  13. net — for catching
  14. bass — low music
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. spring — a coil
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. staff — employees
  19. craft — boats
  20. staff — a stick
  21. net — after costs
  22. net — in sport
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. root — of a plant

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