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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: staff · spring · drill · root · spell · court · wind · toast

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. wind — moving air
  4. drill — army training
  5. court — of a king
  6. spring — of water
  7. drill — a practice
  8. drill — the tool
  9. court — of law
  10. court — for sport
  11. root — of a plant
  12. root — of a word
  13. spring — a coil
  14. wind — moving air
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. staff — employees
  17. staff — a stick
  18. spell — letters
  19. toast — bread
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. root — the cause
  22. staff — employees
  23. spell — magic
  24. spring — the season

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