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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. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. root — of a word
  3. root — the cause
  4. rest — a break
  5. root — of a plant
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. clip — to cut
  8. clip — for paper
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. spring — a coil
  11. spring — the season
  12. vault — a safe
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. rest — what's left
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. fork — in a road
  17. rest — what's left
  18. spring — of water
  19. clip — a video
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. fork — a garden tool

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