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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: root · sharp · snap · spring · scale · rest · pop · lean

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. snap — to click
  3. rest — what's left
  4. pop — soda
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. spring — of water
  9. root — of a plant
  10. pop — music
  11. lean — to bend
  12. root — of a word
  13. scale — size or range
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. lean — thin
  16. pop — to visit
  17. scale — in music
  18. spring — a coil
  19. spring — the season
  20. root — the cause
  21. sharp — clever
  22. rest — a break
  23. rest — what's left
  24. sharp — exactly

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