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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 120 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: content · squash · leaves · charge · spring · cap · pop · root

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. root — the cause
  3. cap — a hat
  4. cap — a lid
  5. pop — music
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. cap — of ice
  8. squash — the sport
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. charge — in control
  11. spring — the season
  12. root — of a word
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. pop — to visit
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. spring — a coil
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. spring — of water
  19. pop — soda
  20. charge — a price
  21. content — the amount
  22. squash — to crush
  23. root — of a plant
  24. charge — electricity

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