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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 address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. last — final
  5. bear — the animal
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. current — electric
  8. wind — moving air
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. current — happening now
  13. root — of a plant
  14. root — of a word
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. current — of water
  17. last — finally
  18. capital — a city
  19. last — to go on
  20. capital — money
  21. lie — to recline
  22. wind — moving air
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. bear — the animal

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