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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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. root — the cause
  3. tear — from crying
  4. content — the amount
  5. bound — tied together
  6. tear — to rip
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. tear — from crying
  10. root — of a plant
  11. ground — crushed
  12. root — of a word
  13. chest — of your body
  14. content — happy
  15. march — music
  16. ground — the earth
  17. ground — a position
  18. bound — obliged
  19. march — the month
  20. bulb — for light
  21. chest — of your body
  22. bound — certain
  23. march — the month
  24. bulb — for light

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