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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: wave · land · spring · court · bound · root · leaves · safe

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. spring — a coil
  3. bound — certain
  4. bound — tied together
  5. land — to come down
  6. court — for sport
  7. root — of a plant
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. root — of a word
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. land — ground
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. land — a country
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. spring — the season
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. court — of law
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. bound — obliged
  22. court — of a king
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. root — the cause

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