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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
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: spring · rest · jam · net · cue · toast · root · land

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. rest — what's left
  3. land — ground
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. spring — a coil
  6. spring — of water
  7. spring — the season
  8. toast — bread
  9. land — a country
  10. root — of a plant
  11. net — for catching
  12. cue — a hint
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. land — to come down
  15. net — after costs
  16. rest — what's left
  17. rest — a break
  18. cue — for pool
  19. cue — a signal
  20. net — in sport
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. root — the cause
  24. toast — the most admired

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