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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. root — of a word
  3. fall — to drop
  4. root — of a plant
  5. fine — all right
  6. content — the amount
  7. pit — a hole
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. branch — a division
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. root — the cause
  13. fine — high quality
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. fall — the season
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. spring — the season
  20. spring — a coil
  21. pit — in a race
  22. fall — to drop
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. spring — of water

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