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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: fine · spring · staff · straw · key · land · root · ruler

  1. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. fine — all right
  3. fine — high quality
  4. key — in music
  5. land — to come down
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. root — of a word
  8. spring — a coil
  9. staff — employees
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. key — the most important part
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. spring — of water
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. land — ground
  17. staff — employees
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. land — a country
  20. key — for a lock
  21. staff — a stick
  22. spring — the season
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. root — of a plant

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