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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: bat · hand · root · date · bowl · fine · lean · bound

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. hand — help
  4. date — the fruit
  5. bound — certain
  6. root — of a word
  7. fine — high quality
  8. fine — all right
  9. root — the cause
  10. bound — tied together
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. hand — in cards
  15. bound — obliged
  16. bat — the animal
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. lean — to bend
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. lean — thin
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. root — of a plant

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