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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. spring — a coil
  3. cell — in biology
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. suit — in cards
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. root — of a word
  9. suit — clothes
  10. scale — in music
  11. suit — to fit
  12. mark — a grade
  13. root — the cause
  14. hand — in cards
  15. spring — the season
  16. spring — of water
  17. staff — employees
  18. hand — help
  19. mark — a trace
  20. root — of a plant
  21. scale — size or range
  22. staff — a stick
  23. cell — a phone
  24. staff — employees

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