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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. root — the cause
  4. wind — moving air
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. track — to keep track
  7. track — a path
  8. mug — a cup
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. mug — to rob
  11. file — a tool
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. file — a document
  15. rash — a series
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. rash — hasty
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. root — of a plant
  20. file — a line of people
  21. root — of a word
  22. wind — moving air
  23. track — a song
  24. mug — a face

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