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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: nail · wake · hand · sharp · spring · root · mug · deal

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. spring — of water
  4. mug — a face
  5. spring — the season
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. hand — in cards
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. mug — to rob
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. hand — help
  14. wake — a trail
  15. root — of a word
  16. spring — a coil
  17. root — the cause
  18. sharp — clever
  19. root — of a plant
  20. deal — to handle
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. mug — a cup
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. deal — a big deal

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