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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 116 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: pop · leaves · bore · band · spell · root · pit · spring

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. pop — soda
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. pop — to visit
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. bore — to drill
  7. spell — letters
  8. band — a music group
  9. spring — the season
  10. pit — in a race
  11. band — a ring
  12. root — the cause
  13. pit — a hole
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. spell — a short time
  16. root — of a plant
  17. spring — of water
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. spell — magic
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. bore — to tire
  22. root — of a word
  23. pop — music
  24. band — a rubber band

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