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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 · court · squash · cell · safe · cold · bear · root

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. cold — an illness
  3. root — of a word
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. cell — in biology
  6. bear — the animal
  7. bore — to tire
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. court — of law
  11. cold — not warm
  12. root — the cause
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. root — of a plant
  15. cell — a phone
  16. bore — to drill
  17. court — of a king
  18. squash — to crush
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. squash — the sport
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. bear — the animal

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