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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: stick · leaves · rash · root · cell · rock · chest · temple

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. cell — a phone
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. rock — music
  6. root — of a word
  7. chest — of your body
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. rock — a stone
  10. root — the cause
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. chest — of your body
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. rash — hasty
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. chest — a box
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. rash — a series
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. root — of a plant
  24. cell — in biology

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