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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. march — the month
  3. root — of a plant
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. degree — from a university
  7. toast — bread
  8. spring — of water
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. march — the month
  11. march — music
  12. root — the cause
  13. degree — an amount
  14. perch — the fish
  15. root — of a word
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. spring — the season
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. lie — to recline
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. degree — temperature
  24. toast — the most admired

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