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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. cap — a hat
  3. root — the cause
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. root — of a word
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. cap — a lid
  10. root — of a plant
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. spell — letters
  13. cell — a phone
  14. fine — all right
  15. cell — in biology
  16. fine — high quality
  17. spell — magic
  18. spell — a short time

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