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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: bear · root · face · mine · spring · pop · season · club

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. spring — of water
  3. bear — the animal
  4. club — for dancing
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. season — of the year
  7. spring — the season
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. root — of a word
  10. club — for golf
  11. pop — to visit
  12. root — of a plant
  13. face — to point toward
  14. pop — music
  15. season — in sport
  16. mine — for digging
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. face — to confront
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. bear — the animal
  21. spring — a coil
  22. root — the cause
  23. face — part of the head
  24. club — a group

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