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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 124 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 ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. pop — to visit
  3. stem — to come from
  4. bound — tied together
  5. content — the amount
  6. spring — of water
  7. spring — a coil
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. bound — certain
  10. bound — obliged
  11. saw — the tool
  12. pop — soda
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. content — happy
  17. pop — music
  18. root — the cause
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. pass — a permit
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. saw — the tool
  23. root — of a plant
  24. spring — the season

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