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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 band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. root — of a plant
  3. root — the cause
  4. bound — obliged
  5. lean — thin
  6. march — the month
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. spring — of water
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. spring — the season
  11. spring — a coil
  12. stand — to bear
  13. lean — to bend
  14. bound — certain
  15. bound — tied together
  16. cap — a lid
  17. stem — to come from
  18. root — of a word
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. march — the month
  22. cap — of ice
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. cap — a hat

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