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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 · staff · spell · bat · spring · object · stick

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. bat — the animal
  3. object — an aim
  4. root — of a word
  5. spell — magic
  6. spell — letters
  7. staff — employees
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. staff — a stick
  10. object — a thing
  11. spring — of water
  12. spell — a short time
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. track — a song
  15. root — the cause
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. spring — the season
  18. spring — a coil
  19. track — to keep track
  20. object — to protest
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. track — a path
  23. root — of a plant
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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