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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. march — the month
  3. march — the month
  4. root — of a plant
  5. band — a music group
  6. kid — child
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. band — a ring
  10. key — the most important part
  11. kid — to tease
  12. march — music
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. cell — a phone
  15. root — of a word
  16. bulb — for light
  17. foot — a measure
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. bulb — for light
  21. key — in music
  22. key — for a lock
  23. root — the cause
  24. cell — in a prison

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