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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: mouse · root · bound · field · fall · snap · cabinet · hide

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. bound — obliged
  4. root — of a plant
  5. field — farmland
  6. fall — to drop
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. root — the cause
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. root — of a word
  11. fall — the season
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. snap — to click
  14. fall — to drop
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. bound — tied together
  17. field — a subject
  18. field — for sport
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. bound — certain
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. hide — animal skin

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