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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: track · root · dip · jam · deal · bowl · spring · saw

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. track — a path
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. track — a song
  7. spring — a coil
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. spring — the season
  10. track — to keep track
  11. deal — to handle
  12. root — the cause
  13. spring — of water
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. root — of a plant
  18. saw — the tool
  19. dip — to sink
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. saw — the tool
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. jam — in traffic

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