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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 polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. stand — to bear
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. face — to point toward
  5. cap — a lid
  6. row — a line
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. court — of a king
  9. court — for sport
  10. row — to paddle
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. root — the cause
  14. root — of a plant
  15. face — to confront
  16. court — of law
  17. stem — to come from
  18. cap — a hat
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. drill — a practice
  21. drill — the tool
  22. drill — army training
  23. face — part of the head
  24. root — of a word

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