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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: cue · squash · spring · temple · land · root · object · staff

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. object — a thing
  4. cue — for pool
  5. staff — employees
  6. spring — a coil
  7. cue — a signal
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. squash — the sport
  10. object — to protest
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. squash — to crush
  13. staff — employees
  14. object — an aim
  15. land — ground
  16. staff — a stick
  17. root — the cause
  18. spring — the season
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. land — to come down
  21. land — a country
  22. root — of a plant
  23. root — of a word
  24. cue — a hint

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