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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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. rest — what's left
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. wind — moving air
  7. rest — what's left
  8. bark — to shout
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. wind — moving air
  11. root — of a word
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. chest — a box
  14. root — of a plant
  15. deal — to handle
  16. rest — a break
  17. chest — of your body
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. root — the cause
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. rush — hurry
  24. chest — of your body

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