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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. bear — the animal
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. bear — the animal
  5. wind — moving air
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. squash — the sport
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. root — of a word
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. squash — to crush
  13. bat — the animal
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. wind — moving air
  17. root — the cause
  18. wind — to turn a key

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