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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: root · rush · pop · vault · saw · spring · game · calf

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. rush — hurry
  4. saw — the tool
  5. spring — a coil
  6. root — of a word
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. pop — to visit
  10. pop — soda
  11. game — a match
  12. root — the cause
  13. pop — music
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. spring — the season
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. root — of a plant
  18. vault — a safe
  19. saw — the tool
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. game — wild animals
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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