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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. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. clip — to cut
  3. cell — in biology
  4. bound — tied together
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. root — of a plant
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. spring — the season
  11. clip — for paper
  12. mine — for digging
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. cell — a phone
  15. root — of a word
  16. spring — of water
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. bound — obliged
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. bound — certain
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. clip — a video
  23. spring — a coil
  24. cell — in a prison

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