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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: cabinet · cell · kid · root · clip · mine · race · current

  1. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. kid — child
  3. race — a contest
  4. race — the arms race
  5. kid — to tease
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. current — of water
  8. mine — for digging
  9. clip — to cut
  10. cell — in biology
  11. root — of a word
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. clip — for paper
  14. race — humankind
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. current — happening now
  18. current — electric
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. clip — a video
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. root — of a plant
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. cell — a phone

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