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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. bound — tied together
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. bound — certain
  5. cap — a lid
  6. sharp — clever
  7. cap — of ice
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. can — a tin
  10. can — a tin
  11. spring — of water
  12. spring — the season
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. root — the cause
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. root — of a plant
  17. cell — in biology
  18. can — to be able to
  19. bound — obliged
  20. spring — a coil
  21. kid — to tease
  22. cell — a phone
  23. cap — a hat
  24. kid — child

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