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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 120 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: mouse · perch · file · sharp · spell · spring · cabinet · root

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. spell — magic
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. spring — a coil
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. perch — the fish
  7. root — of a word
  8. root — of a plant
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. root — the cause
  11. file — a line of people
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. spell — letters
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. spring — the season
  20. sharp — clever
  21. spell — a short time
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. file — a document
  24. file — a tool

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