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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: wound · bore · rest · cap · root · foot · present · bank

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. present — a gift
  3. cap — a hat
  4. bank — for money
  5. wound — an injury
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. wound — an injury
  9. bore — to drill
  10. bank — for money
  11. rest — what's left
  12. cap — of ice
  13. present — there
  14. root — of a plant
  15. bank — of a river
  16. root — of a word
  17. rest — a break
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. cap — a lid
  20. present — the time now
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. root — the cause
  23. bore — to tire
  24. rest — what's left

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