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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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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: bound · cell · mug · tear · cap · foot · march · root

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. mug — a cup
  3. bound — tied together
  4. cell — a phone
  5. bound — certain
  6. cap — a lid
  7. bound — obliged
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. tear — from crying
  10. cell — in biology
  11. root — the cause
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. march — the month
  14. root — of a word
  15. mug — a face
  16. foot — a measure
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. cap — a hat
  19. march — the month
  20. root — of a plant
  21. tear — to rip
  22. cap — of ice
  23. march — music
  24. mug — to rob

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