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

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. root — of a plant
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. cap — of ice
  7. mark — a trace
  8. root — the cause
  9. cap — a lid
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. hand — help
  14. wind — moving air
  15. bore — to tire
  16. bore — to drill
  17. cap — a hat
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. wind — moving air
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. dip — to sink
  23. mark — a grade
  24. hand — in cards

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