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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.

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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: deal · root · season · bound · rush · shower · squash · spring

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. squash — the sport
  3. root — of a word
  4. season — in sport
  5. root — the cause
  6. bound — obliged
  7. squash — to crush
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. shower — to wash
  12. spring — a coil
  13. root — of a plant
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. spring — the season
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. shower — rain
  18. season — of the year
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. bound — tied together
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. deal — to handle
  23. rush — hurry
  24. spring — of water

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