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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 120 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. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. bear — the animal
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. root — of a word
  6. root — of a plant
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. band — a music group
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. cold — not warm
  13. cold — an illness
  14. band — a ring
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. rule — a law
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. bear — the animal
  20. cell — in biology
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. cell — a phone
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. rule — government

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