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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 120 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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. root — the cause
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. ground — crushed
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. spring — a coil
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. root — of a word
  10. wound — an injury
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. spring — the season
  13. foot — a measure
  14. spring — of water
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. ground — a position
  17. ground — the earth
  18. root — of a plant
  19. rash — a series
  20. wound — an injury
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. rash — hasty

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