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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: game · lean · root · ball · bowl · dip · spring · toast

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. root — of a plant
  4. spring — a coil
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. ball — a great time
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. lean — to bend
  13. toast — bread
  14. root — the cause
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. spring — the season
  18. game — wild animals
  19. spring — of water
  20. root — of a word
  21. lean — thin
  22. dip — to sink
  23. game — a match
  24. ball — a dance

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