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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: mine · foot · date · spring · scale · deal · root · march

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. scale — size or range
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. root — of a plant
  5. spring — a coil
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. deal — to handle
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. march — the month
  10. spring — the season
  11. march — the month
  12. mine — for digging
  13. date — the fruit
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. scale — in music
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. root — the cause
  18. foot — a measure
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. root — of a word
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. spring — of water
  24. march — music

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