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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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. mine — for digging
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. bank — of a river
  7. bank — for money
  8. wind — moving air
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. wind — moving air
  13. cap — of ice
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. cap — a hat
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. root — the cause
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. cap — a lid
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. root — of a plant
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. bank — for money

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