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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: cell · bowl · land · tube · bound · key · root · craft

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. key — in music
  3. key — the most important part
  4. land — a country
  5. cell — a phone
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. bound — obliged
  10. key — for a lock
  11. craft — boats
  12. bound — certain
  13. tube — a container
  14. cell — in biology
  15. land — to come down
  16. root — of a plant
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. craft — a skill
  19. tube — the underground
  20. land — ground
  21. root — the cause
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. bound — tied together
  24. root — of a word

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