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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. staff — a stick
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. mine — for digging
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. root — of a word
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. capital — money
  9. dip — to sink
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. capital — a city
  12. root — the cause
  13. staff — employees
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. lean — thin
  16. content — the amount
  17. wake — a trail
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. staff — employees
  20. lean — to bend
  21. root — of a plant
  22. content — happy
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. dip — to dunk

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