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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: cell · bore · pound · dip · cold · coach · racket · root

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. dip — to sink
  3. pound — a weight
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. bore — to drill
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. root — of a word
  8. root — the cause
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. root — of a plant
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. cell — in biology
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. cold — not warm
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. cold — an illness
  24. bore — to tire

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