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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: cap · root · hide · lean · spell · chest · race · sharp

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. root — the cause
  4. lean — to bend
  5. spell — magic
  6. root — of a word
  7. race — the arms race
  8. chest — of your body
  9. chest — of your body
  10. race — a contest
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. root — of a plant
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. cap — of ice
  15. sharp — clever
  16. cap — a hat
  17. race — humankind
  18. spell — letters
  19. lean — thin
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. chest — a box
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. spell — a short time

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