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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. root — of a word
  4. wind — moving air
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. press — newspapers
  8. pop — soda
  9. object — an aim
  10. root — the cause
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. root — of a plant
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. press — to push
  15. capital — money
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. pop — to visit
  18. object — a thing
  19. pop — music
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. wind — moving air
  22. capital — a city
  23. press — a publisher
  24. lash — to lash out

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