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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: wind · bowl · current · dip · content · cell · root · march

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. current — happening now
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. dip — to sink
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. root — the cause
  9. wind — moving air
  10. content — the amount
  11. root — of a plant
  12. root — of a word
  13. cell — in biology
  14. current — electric
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. content — happy
  18. current — of water
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. march — the month
  21. wind — moving air
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. march — the month
  24. march — 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