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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 · board · bore · cold · lie · dip · arm

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. cold — an illness
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. cap — a hat
  8. board — to get on
  9. lie — to recline
  10. dip — to sink
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. cold — not warm
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. cap — of ice
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. root — of a word
  17. cap — a lid
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. root — of a plant
  20. board — a committee
  21. root — the cause
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. bore — to drill

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