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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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. root — the cause
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. current — happening now
  5. stem — to come from
  6. bound — obliged
  7. bound — tied together
  8. chest — a box
  9. bound — certain
  10. current — electric
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. cell — in biology
  13. current — of water
  14. root — of a plant
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. band — a music group
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. root — of a word
  20. chest — of your body
  21. band — a ring
  22. cell — a phone
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. deal — to handle

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