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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 ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. pass — a permit
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. mine — for digging
  14. kid — child
  15. kid — to tease
  16. root — the cause
  17. rush — hurry
  18. root — of a word
  19. wind — moving air
  20. rash — a series
  21. wind — moving air
  22. rash — hasty
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. wind — to turn a key

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