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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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 strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. root — of a word
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. drill — a practice
  5. wind — moving air
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. drill — army training
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. drill — the tool
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. dip — to sink
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. cell — in biology
  15. root — of a plant
  16. cell — a phone
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. game — wild animals
  22. game — a match
  23. root — the cause
  24. temple — a place of worship

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