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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 water is too ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. band — a ring
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. band — a music group
  5. wind — moving air
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. root — of a word
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. toast — bread
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. root — the cause
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. cold — an illness
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. rush — hurry
  20. root — of a plant
  21. wind — moving air
  22. stem — to come from
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. rush — a thrill

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