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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
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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: court · staff · coach · root · mouse · spell · ground · bound

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. root — of a plant
  3. bound — certain
  4. ground — a position
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. bound — tied together
  7. spell — letters
  8. spell — magic
  9. staff — employees
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. ground — crushed
  12. staff — a stick
  13. court — for sport
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. root — of a word
  16. court — of law
  17. ground — the earth
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. bound — obliged
  21. court — of a king
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. spell — a short time
  24. root — the cause

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