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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 120 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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bass · cap · arm · cell · lean · root

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. cap — of ice
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. bass — low music
  6. cell — a phone
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. root — of a plant
  10. root — of a word
  11. cell — in biology
  12. bass — the fish
  13. lean — thin
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. cap — a hat
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. lean — to bend
  18. root — the cause

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