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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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468
Word bank
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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. club — a group
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. ground — crushed
  5. wound — an injury
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. wound — an injury
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. club — for golf
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. ground — a position
  16. lean — thin
  17. lean — to bend
  18. cold — an illness
  19. root — of a word
  20. root — of a plant
  21. club — for dancing
  22. cold — not warm
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. ground — the earth

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