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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: net · spring · root · stand · band · bark · mate · squash

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. bark — to shout
  3. band — a music group
  4. mate — a friend
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. band — a ring
  7. spring — a coil
  8. mate — to breed
  9. squash — to crush
  10. net — after costs
  11. stand — to bear
  12. net — for catching
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. root — the cause
  15. root — of a word
  16. mate — a partner
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. spring — the season
  19. squash — the sport
  20. root — of a plant
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. net — in sport

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