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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. That must've been a ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. shower — to wash
  4. root — of a plant
  5. wind — moving air
  6. root — the cause
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. root — of a word
  9. pit — a hole
  10. pit — in a race
  11. wax — to grow
  12. shower — rain
  13. ground — crushed
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. lie — to recline
  16. ground — a position
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. ground — the earth
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. rush — hurry

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