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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. root — of a plant
  3. cap — a hat
  4. root — the cause
  5. object — to protest
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. stem — to come from
  9. object — an aim
  10. root — of a word
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. ball — a dance
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. cap — of ice
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. game — a match
  18. object — a thing
  19. game — wild animals
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. spring — of water
  22. spring — the season
  23. ball — a great time
  24. cap — a lid

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