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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 newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. suit — in cards
  3. cell — in biology
  4. root — of a word
  5. suit — clothes
  6. drill — the tool
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. root — of a plant
  9. ground — a position
  10. ground — the earth
  11. prune — to trim
  12. cell — a phone
  13. prune — to trim
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. ground — crushed
  16. drill — army training
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. foot — a measure
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. root — the cause
  22. suit — to fit
  23. drill — a practice
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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