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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. rush — hurry
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. spring — the season
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. chair — a leader
  8. spring — of water
  9. root — of a plant
  10. bound — obliged
  11. root — of a word
  12. content — the amount
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. bound — certain
  15. root — the cause
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. wax — to grow
  19. content — happy
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. lie — to recline
  22. spring — a coil
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. bound — tied together

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