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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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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 · root · stick · mouse · wake · chip · bore · temple

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. wake — a trail
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. root — of a word
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. bore — to tire
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. chip — to eat
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. spring — a coil
  16. bore — to drill
  17. spring — the season
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. root — of a plant
  21. spring — of water
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. root — the cause
  24. chip — for betting

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