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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: season · wind · spring · game · deal · root · dip · file

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. spring — the season
  3. game — wild animals
  4. spring — of water
  5. root — the cause
  6. deal — to handle
  7. file — a tool
  8. file — a document
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. game — a match
  11. season — in sport
  12. spring — a coil
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. season — of the year
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. dip — to sink
  18. file — a line of people
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. wind — moving air
  21. root — of a plant
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. wind — moving air
  24. game — a kind of play

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