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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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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 train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. rash — hasty
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. foot — a measure
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. rash — a series
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. kick — in football
  15. wind — moving air
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. root — of a plant
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. root — of a word
  22. root — the cause
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. leaves — of a tree

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