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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 speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. object — an aim
  3. rock — a stone
  4. bound — tied together
  5. object — to protest
  6. cap — a lid
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. bound — certain
  10. field — farmland
  11. field — a subject
  12. root — of a word
  13. object — a thing
  14. cap — a hat
  15. board — a committee
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. board — to get on
  18. bound — obliged
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. rock — music
  21. root — of a plant
  22. cap — of ice
  23. root — the cause
  24. field — for sport

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