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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. root — of a plant
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. staff — a stick
  6. root — the cause
  7. spring — a coil
  8. ground — crushed
  9. spring — of water
  10. content — happy
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. spring — the season
  14. content — the amount
  15. chest — a box
  16. chest — of your body
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. root — of a word
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. staff — employees
  22. chest — of your body
  23. ground — a position
  24. staff — employees

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