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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. shower — rain
  3. current — electric
  4. bound — certain
  5. cold — an illness
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. root — of a word
  12. current — happening now
  13. lean — to bend
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. current — of water
  16. lean — thin
  17. cold — not warm
  18. mine — for digging
  19. bound — tied together
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. root — of a plant
  23. shower — to wash
  24. bound — obliged

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