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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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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: snap · root · squash · pitcher · branch · wound · spring · foot

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. snap — to click
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. branch — a division
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. spring — of water
  7. root — of a plant
  8. wound — an injury
  9. root — of a word
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. squash — to crush
  18. foot — a measure
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. wound — an injury
  22. spring — a coil
  23. root — the cause
  24. squash — the sport

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