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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: arm · track · cue · spell · root · date · bound · spring

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. bound — certain
  3. track — a path
  4. bound — tied together
  5. track — a song
  6. root — of a plant
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. spring — a coil
  9. root — of a word
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. bound — obliged
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. date — the fruit
  14. spring — the season
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. cue — for pool
  17. spell — letters
  18. root — the cause
  19. cue — a hint
  20. cue — a signal
  21. track — to keep track
  22. spell — a short time
  23. spell — magic
  24. arm — a part of something

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