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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: chest · cell · object · fork · cap · club · mouse · root

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. cell — in biology
  3. club — a group
  4. chest — of your body
  5. cap — of ice
  6. root — the cause
  7. object — an aim
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. fork — in a road
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. root — of a word
  13. cell — a phone
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. cap — a hat
  16. object — to protest
  17. club — for dancing
  18. object — a thing
  19. club — for golf
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. root — of a plant
  22. chest — of your body
  23. chest — a box
  24. cell — in a prison

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