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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. pop — to visit
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. root — of a plant
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. wind — moving air
  9. root — the cause
  10. club — for dancing
  11. club — for golf
  12. root — of a word
  13. wind — moving air
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. club — a group
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. charge — in control
  18. wound — an injury
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. wound — an injury
  21. charge — a price
  22. charge — electricity
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. pop — music

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