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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: rush · root · season · rash · spring · bear · cell · nail

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. cell — a phone
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. spring — a coil
  5. rash — hasty
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. season — of the year
  8. bear — the animal
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. root — of a plant
  12. bear — the animal
  13. root — the cause
  14. spring — the season
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. rash — a series
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. root — of a word
  19. season — in sport
  20. cell — in biology
  21. spring — of water
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. rush — hurry

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