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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. bound — certain
  3. root — of a plant
  4. root — the cause
  5. object — a thing
  6. root — of a word
  7. bound — tied together
  8. staff — employees
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. mark — a grade
  11. bound — obliged
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. staff — a stick
  14. staff — employees
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. mark — a trace
  17. season — of the year
  18. current — electric
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. season — in sport
  21. current — of water
  22. date — the fruit
  23. object — an aim
  24. current — happening now

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