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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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. wound — an injury
  6. cold — an illness
  7. root — the cause
  8. tube — the underground
  9. wind — moving air
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. cold — not warm
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. wind — moving air
  16. key — for a lock
  17. key — in music
  18. root — of a plant
  19. lie — to recline
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. tube — a container
  22. perch — the fish
  23. key — the most important part
  24. wound — an injury

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