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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. cell — a phone
  3. bank — for money
  4. cell — in biology
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. spring — the season
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. root — of a plant
  9. firm — a company
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. bank — of a river
  12. dip — to sink
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. spring — a coil
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. game — wild animals
  17. firm — decided
  18. game — a match
  19. bank — for money
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. firm — steady
  22. spring — of water
  23. root — of a word
  24. root — the cause

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