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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: spring · wind · root · squash · stick · bay · sharp · date

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. root — of a plant
  4. wind — moving air
  5. sharp — clever
  6. wind — moving air
  7. spring — of water
  8. spring — a coil
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. root — of a word
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. squash — to crush
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. date — the fruit
  21. spring — the season
  22. root — the cause
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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