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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 · spring · lie · cell · ground · date · pop · deal

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. spring — the season
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. ground — the earth
  5. spring — of water
  6. pop — to visit
  7. pop — soda
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. date — the fruit
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. cell — in biology
  14. cell — a phone
  15. root — the cause
  16. deal — to handle
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. root — of a word
  19. ground — a position
  20. lie — to recline
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. root — of a plant
  23. spring — a coil
  24. pop — music

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