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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 116 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: bark · spring · march · rule · firm · wave · bore · root

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. spring — a coil
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. march — the month
  5. root — of a plant
  6. rule — a law
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. firm — steady
  9. bore — to drill
  10. bark — to shout
  11. rule — government
  12. firm — a company
  13. firm — decided
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. spring — the season
  16. root — of a word
  17. march — the month
  18. bore — to tire
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. root — the cause
  22. march — music
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. bore — gave birth

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