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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. root — of a plant
  3. hand — in cards
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. saw — the tool
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. saw — the tool
  8. march — music
  9. root — the cause
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. deal — to handle
  15. mark — a grade
  16. march — the month
  17. wind — moving air
  18. hand — help
  19. wind — moving air
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. wake — a trail
  22. root — of a word
  23. march — the month
  24. mark — a trace

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