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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: root · temple · cell · pop · hide · court · fall · pound

  1. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. pop — soda
  3. cell — a phone
  4. fall — to drop
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. court — of law
  9. root — of a plant
  10. court — for sport
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. pop — music
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. court — of a king
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. pound — a weight
  20. root — of a word
  21. fall — to drop
  22. cell — in biology
  23. pop — to visit
  24. fall — the season

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