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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 116 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: kid · cell · board · wake · race · root · spring · sharp

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. root — of a plant
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. race — the arms race
  6. spring — the season
  7. board — a committee
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. spring — of water
  11. race — a contest
  12. kid — child
  13. board — to get on
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. race — humankind
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. wake — a trail
  18. cell — a phone
  19. root — the cause
  20. spring — a coil
  21. kid — to tease
  22. root — of a word
  23. sharp — clever
  24. sharp — exactly

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