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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 ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. root — the cause
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. dip — to sink
  6. row — a line
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. bound — obliged
  10. bulb — for light
  11. bulb — for light
  12. bat — the animal
  13. bound — certain
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. cap — a lid
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. cap — of ice
  18. row — to paddle
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. bound — tied together
  22. cap — a hat
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. root — of a plant

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