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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: root · toast · rock · foot · last · bound · hand · sharp

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. last — to go on
  3. bound — certain
  4. toast — bread
  5. last — finally
  6. bound — obliged
  7. foot — a measure
  8. rock — a stone
  9. sharp — clever
  10. root — of a plant
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. rock — music
  15. root — the cause
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. root — of a word
  18. hand — in cards
  19. last — final
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. bound — tied together
  24. hand — help

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