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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · season · spring · leaves · bowl · key · wind · game

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. key — in music
  4. season — in sport
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. root — the cause
  7. season — of the year
  8. root — of a plant
  9. game — wild animals
  10. root — of a word
  11. game — a match
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. key — the most important part
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. key — for a lock
  17. spring — a coil
  18. spring — of water
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. wind — moving air
  24. wind — moving air

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