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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 116 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: mark · spring · wind · cell · march · root · saw · spell

  1. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  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. root — of a plant
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. march — music
  4. cell — a phone
  5. root — of a word
  6. spring — a coil
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. wind — moving air
  9. saw — the tool
  10. march — the month
  11. spell — letters
  12. mark — a grade
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. cell — in biology
  15. spring — the season
  16. root — the cause
  17. spell — a short time
  18. wind — moving air
  19. mark — a trace
  20. march — the month
  21. saw — the tool
  22. spell — magic
  23. cell — in a prison
  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