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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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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: bore · roll · fine · mate · cap · stand · wound · root

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. cap — a hat
  3. fine — all right
  4. roll — a cake
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. fine — high quality
  8. bore — to drill
  9. cap — a lid
  10. mate — a friend
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. roll — a list
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. bore — to tire
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. stand — to bear
  18. root — of a plant
  19. mate — a partner
  20. root — of a word
  21. root — the cause
  22. mate — to breed
  23. wound — an injury
  24. cap — of ice

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