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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 · saw · clip · march · root · temple · bowl · content

  1. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. march — the month
  4. cap — a hat
  5. clip — to cut
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. cap — of ice
  9. root — of a plant
  10. clip — for paper
  11. saw — the tool
  12. march — the month
  13. content — happy
  14. cap — a lid
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. clip — a video
  17. content — the amount
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. saw — the tool
  20. march — music
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. root — of a word
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. bowl — a football final

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