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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: root · fan · mug · wound · bound · foot · bat · rule

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. root — of a plant
  3. bound — obliged
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. bound — tied together
  6. root — the cause
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. foot — a measure
  9. wound — an injury
  10. bound — certain
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. mug — to rob
  13. root — of a word
  14. rule — government
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. mug — a face
  20. rule — a law
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. mug — a cup
  23. wound — an injury
  24. fan — to cool the air

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