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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: ground · bore · row · root · mug · temple · cell · pop

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. mug — a face
  4. root — of a plant
  5. ground — crushed
  6. pop — music
  7. row — a line
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. root — the cause
  10. cell — in biology
  11. cell — a phone
  12. ground — the earth
  13. bore — to tire
  14. mug — a cup
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. row — to paddle
  17. ground — a position
  18. pop — to visit
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. bore — to drill
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. mug — to rob
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. pop — soda

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