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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: spell · root · pop · arm · spring · last · cell · club

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. spell — a short time
  3. last — to go on
  4. spring — a coil
  5. cell — a phone
  6. spell — magic
  7. club — a group
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. pop — soda
  11. root — the cause
  12. pop — music
  13. cell — in biology
  14. root — of a plant
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. last — finally
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. root — of a word
  19. spell — letters
  20. club — for dancing
  21. spring — the season
  22. spring — of water
  23. pop — to visit
  24. last — final

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