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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 116 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 had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. mate — to breed
  3. rest — what's left
  4. mate — a partner
  5. wind — moving air
  6. squash — to crush
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. root — of a word
  9. prune — to trim
  10. drill — army training
  11. squash — the sport
  12. root — of a plant
  13. rest — a break
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. rest — what's left
  17. prune — to trim
  18. stand — to bear
  19. root — the cause
  20. wind — moving air
  21. mate — a friend
  22. drill — the tool
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. wind — to turn a key

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