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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: root · snap · band · march · fine · spring · present · saw

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. band — a music group
  4. present — there
  5. snap — to click
  6. march — music
  7. band — a ring
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. root — of a word
  10. saw — the tool
  11. root — the cause
  12. fine — high quality
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. saw — the tool
  15. fine — all right
  16. present — the time now
  17. march — the month
  18. march — the month
  19. root — of a plant
  20. spring — a coil
  21. spring — the season
  22. present — a gift
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. fine — a penalty

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