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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. wind — moving air
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. spring — of water
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. hand — help
  11. root — of a word
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. spring — a coil
  14. root — of a plant
  15. saw — the tool
  16. board — to get on
  17. spring — the season
  18. wind — moving air
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. board — a committee
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. hand — in cards
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. root — the cause

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