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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.

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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: coach · spring · ball · ground · ruler · root · pit · foot

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. foot — a measure
  3. root — of a word
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. pit — in a race
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. ground — a position
  10. pit — a hole
  11. spring — a coil
  12. ball — a dance
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. root — of a plant
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. root — the cause
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. ground — the earth
  20. spring — of water
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. spring — the season
  24. ball — a great time

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