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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 116 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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. bound — obliged
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. root — of a word
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. cold — not warm
  7. charge — electricity
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. bound — tied together
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. bound — certain
  14. ground — a position
  15. ground — the earth
  16. charge — in control
  17. charge — a price
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. fork — in a road
  20. root — the cause
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. root — of a plant
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. ground — crushed

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