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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. root — of a word
  3. rush — hurry
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. root — of a plant
  7. scale — size or range
  8. row — a line
  9. scale — in music
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. chair — a leader
  13. root — the cause
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. row — to paddle
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. wind — moving air
  18. bass — the fish
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. wind — moving air
  24. bass — low music

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