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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: cabinet · spring · bark · mark · root · mine · saw · jam

  1. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. spring — the season
  4. saw — the tool
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. mine — for digging
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. root — of a word
  9. bark — to shout
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. root — of a plant
  12. mark — a grade
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. spring — of water
  15. mark — a trace
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. spring — a coil
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. saw — the tool
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. root — the cause

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