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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. band — a music group
  3. band — a ring
  4. bore — to drill
  5. root — of a plant
  6. key — the most important part
  7. stem — to come from
  8. chip — for betting
  9. bound — tied together
  10. bound — obliged
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. root — the cause
  13. bound — certain
  14. key — in music
  15. chip — to eat
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. key — for a lock
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. sharp — clever
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. root — of a word

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