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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: chest · hide · bass · root · roll · cap · mate · nail

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. chest — of your body
  3. mate — a friend
  4. chest — a box
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. chest — of your body
  7. root — of a plant
  8. roll — a cake
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. mate — to breed
  11. mate — a partner
  12. cap — a hat
  13. cap — a lid
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. root — the cause
  16. roll — a list
  17. cap — of ice
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. root — of a word
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. bass — the fish
  24. bass — low music

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