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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.

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: spring · root · fan · field · club · drill · spell · shower

  1. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. field — a subject
  3. drill — army training
  4. spring — of water
  5. club — for golf
  6. root — of a word
  7. shower — rain
  8. drill — the tool
  9. club — for dancing
  10. field — for sport
  11. field — farmland
  12. spring — the season
  13. root — of a plant
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. club — a group
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. spring — a coil
  18. drill — a practice
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. spell — magic
  21. shower — to wash
  22. spell — letters
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. spell — a short time

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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