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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. wound — an injury
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. root — the cause
  6. bank — of a river
  7. last — to go on
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. game — a match
  11. bank — for money
  12. game — wild animals
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. last — final
  15. foot — a measure
  16. pound — a weight
  17. root — of a plant
  18. bank — for money
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. root — of a word
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. wound — an injury
  24. pound — for dogs

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