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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: fine · spring · bass · root · hide · ground · prune · saw

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. bass — low music
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. prune — to trim
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. spring — a coil
  7. fine — high quality
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. spring — the season
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. spring — of water
  13. ground — crushed
  14. root — of a plant
  15. fine — all right
  16. ground — a position
  17. bass — the fish
  18. saw — the tool
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. root — of a word
  21. prune — to trim
  22. ground — the earth
  23. root — the cause
  24. hide — to keep secret

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