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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: cabinet · root · chip · row · spring · bore · wake · pop

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. spring — of water
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. root — of a plant
  7. pop — to visit
  8. row — a line
  9. pop — soda
  10. chip — for betting
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. wake — a trail
  13. row — to paddle
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. chip — to eat
  16. root — of a word
  17. bore — to drill
  18. pop — music
  19. spring — a coil
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. spring — the season
  23. root — the cause
  24. bore — gave birth

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