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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: saw · root · rule · spring · cell · mine · row · ruler

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. mine — for digging
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. saw — the tool
  6. row — to paddle
  7. root — the cause
  8. root — of a word
  9. cell — a phone
  10. saw — the tool
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. cell — in biology
  13. rule — government
  14. spring — of water
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. rule — a law
  18. row — a line
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. spring — a coil
  22. root — of a plant
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. cell — in a prison

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