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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: cap · cell · chip · season · jam · bark · bore · root

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. season — of the year
  3. cap — a lid
  4. root — of a plant
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. chip — for betting
  7. cell — in biology
  8. bore — to tire
  9. cap — a hat
  10. cell — a phone
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. cap — of ice
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. bark — to shout
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. bore — to drill
  18. chip — to eat
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. root — the cause
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. season — in sport
  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