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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 116 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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. root — the cause
  3. game — wild animals
  4. root — of a plant
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. hand — in cards
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. bound — tied together
  9. root — of a word
  10. spring — the season
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. row — a line
  13. spring — of water
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. spring — a coil
  16. bound — obliged
  17. row — to paddle
  18. hand — help
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. game — a match
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. plane — a tool
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. stem — to come from

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