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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. bank — for money
  3. root — of a plant
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. root — the cause
  6. cell — in biology
  7. plane — a tool
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. cold — an illness
  10. row — to paddle
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. bank — of a river
  17. fine — high quality
  18. cold — not warm
  19. bank — for money
  20. root — of a word
  21. cell — a phone
  22. roll — a cake
  23. roll — a list
  24. row — a line

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