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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. root — of a plant
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. root — of a word
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. spring — a coil
  7. rush — hurry
  8. mug — a cup
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. root — the cause
  11. spring — the season
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. mug — a face
  14. wound — an injury
  15. tear — from crying
  16. spring — of water
  17. fine — all right
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. tear — from crying
  22. fine — high quality
  23. tear — to rip
  24. mug — to rob

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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