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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. last — finally
  3. hand — in cards
  4. hand — help
  5. root — the cause
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. last — to go on
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. tube — the underground
  12. snap — to click
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. wind — moving air
  16. root — of a plant
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. root — of a word
  19. mine — for digging
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. tube — a container
  23. last — final
  24. wind — to turn a key

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