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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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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: root · fall · content · cap · bound · rash · snap · rush

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. bound — certain
  3. content — happy
  4. fall — the season
  5. root — of a plant
  6. cap — a lid
  7. cap — a hat
  8. fall — to drop
  9. cap — of ice
  10. root — of a word
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. rash — a series
  13. bound — obliged
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. rush — hurry
  19. snap — to click
  20. rash — hasty
  21. root — the cause
  22. fall — to drop
  23. content — the amount
  24. bound — tied together

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