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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 train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. land — to come down
  3. wind — moving air
  4. swing — in golf
  5. root — of a word
  6. swing — music
  7. land — a country
  8. saw — the tool
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. fall — the season
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. saw — the tool
  14. wind — moving air
  15. swing — to play on
  16. root — of a plant
  17. mug — a cup
  18. land — ground
  19. mug — a face
  20. fall — to drop
  21. root — the cause
  22. fall — to drop
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. mug — to rob

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