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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. spring — the season
  3. spring — a coil
  4. root — the cause
  5. current — electric
  6. root — of a word
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. current — of water
  9. dip — to sink
  10. spring — of water
  11. sharp — clever
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. stem — to come from
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. pit — in a race
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. current — happening now
  24. root — of a plant

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