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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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Word bank
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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: mug · mate · bark · cell · root · cap · last · pop

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. cap — of ice
  3. pop — music
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. cell — in biology
  7. mate — to breed
  8. root — of a word
  9. mug — a cup
  10. root — the cause
  11. pop — soda
  12. mug — to rob
  13. mate — a friend
  14. cap — a lid
  15. root — of a plant
  16. mate — a partner
  17. bark — to shout
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. mug — a face
  20. last — to go on
  21. pop — to visit
  22. cap — a hat
  23. last — final
  24. last — finally

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