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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 120 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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. root — of a word
  3. band — a music group
  4. court — of law
  5. court — of a king
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. root — of a plant
  8. spring — of water
  9. charge — electricity
  10. charge — a price
  11. root — the cause
  12. spring — the season
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. vault — a safe
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. band — a ring
  17. lean — thin
  18. spring — a coil
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. charge — in control
  21. court — for sport
  22. kid — to tease
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. kid — child

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