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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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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. root — of a plant
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. pound — a weight
  8. root — of a word
  9. spring — of water
  10. root — the cause
  11. cold — an illness
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. spring — a coil
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. cold — not warm
  20. snap — to click
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. spring — the season
  23. vault — a safe
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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