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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · lie · dip · row · court · net · snap · spring

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. root — of a word
  3. spring — a coil
  4. court — of a king
  5. spring — of water
  6. row — a line
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. root — the cause
  9. court — of law
  10. net — after costs
  11. snap — to click
  12. spring — the season
  13. lie — to recline
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. dip — to sink
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. net — for catching
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. net — in sport
  21. row — to paddle
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. court — for sport
  24. root — of a plant

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