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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. root — of a word
  5. mate — a partner
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. root — of a plant
  8. club — a group
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. club — for dancing
  11. bank — for money
  12. root — the cause
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. wind — moving air
  15. dip — to sink
  16. mate — a friend
  17. wind — moving air
  18. bank — of a river
  19. mate — to breed
  20. bank — for money
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. snap — to click
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. dip — to dunk

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