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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: ground · rock · chest · pound · root · fall · jam · rule

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. root — the cause
  3. rock — a stone
  4. fall — the season
  5. rock — music
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. rule — government
  8. chest — of your body
  9. ground — the earth
  10. fall — to drop
  11. ground — crushed
  12. pound — a weight
  13. chest — a box
  14. rule — a law
  15. root — of a plant
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. fall — to drop
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. chest — of your body
  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