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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. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. mug — to rob
  3. lean — to bend
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. stem — to come from
  6. lean — thin
  7. chest — a box
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. mug — a face
  10. bound — certain
  11. mug — a cup
  12. root — of a word
  13. chest — of your body
  14. rash — hasty
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. squash — to crush
  17. root — of a plant
  18. rash — a series
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. squash — the sport
  21. chest — of your body
  22. bound — obliged
  23. bound — tied together
  24. rash — on the skin

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