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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: mouse · bear · rock · foot · date · spring · root · row

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. bear — the animal
  5. spring — a coil
  6. root — of a plant
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. spring — of water
  9. foot — a measure
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. rock — a stone
  12. root — the cause
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. spring — the season
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. root — of a word
  17. row — a line
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. bear — the animal
  20. row — to paddle
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. date — the fruit
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. rock — to move gently

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