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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 strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. wind — moving air
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. mate — a friend
  6. mate — a partner
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. root — of a plant
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. mate — to breed
  14. root — the cause
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. prune — to trim
  17. capital — money
  18. root — of a word
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. capital — a city
  21. mine — for digging
  22. prune — to trim
  23. pound — a weight
  24. prune — the fruit

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