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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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. wind — moving air
  3. wake — a trail
  4. wind — moving air
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. root — of a plant
  7. mug — a face
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. deal — to handle
  10. root — the cause
  11. mug — a cup
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. hand — in cards
  14. hand — help
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. ball — a great time
  18. mug — to rob
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. ball — a dance
  23. saw — the tool
  24. saw — the tool

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