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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. bound — obliged
  3. root — of a plant
  4. root — of a word
  5. current — happening now
  6. spring — the season
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. mark — a trace
  10. wind — moving air
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. root — the cause
  13. spring — a coil
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. mark — a grade
  17. spring — of water
  18. hand — help
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. bound — tied together
  21. current — of water
  22. current — electric
  23. wind — moving air
  24. bound — certain

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