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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 ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. wound — an injury
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. wind — moving air
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. lie — to recline
  8. root — the cause
  9. wound — an injury
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. root — of a plant
  14. wind — moving air
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. lie — an untruth

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