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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. squash — the sport
  3. cap — a lid
  4. root — of a word
  5. root — of a plant
  6. stem — to come from
  7. cap — a hat
  8. cap — of ice
  9. bound — certain
  10. squash — to crush
  11. bound — tied together
  12. cell — a phone
  13. capital — a city
  14. drill — army training
  15. capital — money
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. root — the cause
  21. drill — a practice
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. bound — obliged
  24. drill — the tool

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