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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: spring · fall · pass · fine · arm · last · staff · root

  1. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. last — finally
  3. root — the cause
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. root — of a plant
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. last — to go on
  8. spring — of water
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. staff — employees
  12. spring — the season
  13. fall — the season
  14. fall — to drop
  15. root — of a word
  16. last — final
  17. staff — a stick
  18. fall — to drop
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. fine — all right
  22. spring — a coil
  23. fine — high quality
  24. staff — employees

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