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

Word bank: coach · rule · temple · bear · kid · root · mine · staff

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. 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. staff — a stick
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. staff — employees
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. mine — for digging
  10. kid — child
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. kid — to tease
  13. rule — government
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. root — of a word
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. rule — a law
  19. root — of a plant
  20. bear — the animal
  21. bear — the animal
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. staff — employees
  24. 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