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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's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. present — there
  3. root — the cause
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. root — of a word
  6. lie — to recline
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. present — a gift
  9. present — the time now
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. bank — of a river
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. mark — a grade
  14. bank — for money
  15. cell — in biology
  16. season — of the year
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. root — of a plant
  19. mark — a trace
  20. season — in sport
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. bank — for money
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. cell — a phone

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