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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. rush — hurry
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. wound — an injury
  5. bound — obliged
  6. chip — to eat
  7. bound — tied together
  8. root — of a plant
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. root — of a word
  13. root — the cause
  14. chip — for betting
  15. bound — certain
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. stem — to come from
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. wound — an injury
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. deal — a big deal

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