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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 120 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: scale · bear · wake · drill · mine · object · spring · root

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. object — an aim
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. scale — size or range
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. mine — for digging
  7. root — of a word
  8. scale — in music
  9. spring — the season
  10. drill — army training
  11. object — a thing
  12. object — to protest
  13. bear — the animal
  14. drill — a practice
  15. drill — the tool
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. root — the cause
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. root — of a plant
  22. spring — a coil
  23. bear — the animal
  24. spring — of water

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