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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 120 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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. wind — moving air
  3. root — of a word
  4. root — of a plant
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. root — the cause
  7. bank — for money
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. bank — for money
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. pit — a hole
  14. prune — to trim
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. bank — of a river
  17. wind — moving air
  18. perch — the fish
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. prune — to trim
  22. pit — in a race
  23. rush — hurry
  24. prune — the fruit

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