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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: content · bear · chair · squash · pit · spring · nail · root

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. bear — the animal
  3. spring — of water
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. chair — a leader
  6. root — of a plant
  7. pit — in a race
  8. bear — the animal
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. root — the cause
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. root — of a word
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. spring — a coil
  16. squash — to crush
  17. content — happy
  18. squash — the sport
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. pit — a hole
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. content — the amount

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