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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 ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. root — the cause
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. bound — certain
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. present — the time now
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. present — there
  15. spring — a coil
  16. spring — of water
  17. bound — tied together
  18. bound — obliged
  19. spring — the season
  20. root — of a plant
  21. present — a gift
  22. root — of a word
  23. deal — to handle
  24. temple — a place of worship

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