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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. saw — the tool
  3. capital — a city
  4. root — of a word
  5. capital — money
  6. cap — a hat
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. field — a subject
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. bound — obliged
  11. bound — tied together
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. bear — the animal
  16. root — the cause
  17. root — of a plant
  18. saw — the tool
  19. field — farmland
  20. field — for sport
  21. bear — the animal
  22. cap — a lid
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. bound — certain

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