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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: row · spring · squash · ruler · root · mark · fall · game

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. fall — to drop
  4. spring — the season
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. root — the cause
  8. root — of a word
  9. fall — to drop
  10. game — a match
  11. mark — a trace
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. fall — the season
  14. spring — of water
  15. root — of a plant
  16. game — wild animals
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. squash — the sport
  19. row — a line
  20. row — to paddle
  21. spring — a coil
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. squash — to crush

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