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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 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. race — humankind
  3. root — of a plant
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. race — a contest
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. race — the arms race
  11. kid — child
  12. root — the cause
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. prune — to trim
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. wind — moving air
  21. wind — moving air
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. kid — to tease
  24. prune — to trim

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