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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. rash — hasty
  3. root — of a plant
  4. rush — hurry
  5. mug — a face
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. spring — of water
  11. wake — a trail
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. root — the cause
  14. spring — the season
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. mug — to rob
  18. rash — a series
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. root — of a word
  21. dip — to sink
  22. spring — a coil
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. mug — a cup

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