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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. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. file — a line of people
  3. root — of a word
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. can — to be able to
  6. object — to protest
  7. cold — not warm
  8. wind — moving air
  9. file — a tool
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. file — a document
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. object — an aim
  16. cold — an illness
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. object — a thing
  19. root — the cause
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. wind — moving air
  22. can — a tin
  23. can — a tin
  24. dip — to sink

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