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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 120 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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. game — wild animals
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. game — a match
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. root — the cause
  8. wind — moving air
  9. branch — a division
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. rush — hurry
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. perch — the fish
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. last — finally
  18. root — of a plant
  19. last — final
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. last — to go on
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. root — of a word
  24. wind — moving air

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