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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. wind — moving air
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. root — of a plant
  6. root — the cause
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. spring — a coil
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. root — of a word
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. wind — moving air
  15. stand — to bear
  16. spring — of water
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. spring — the season
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. sharp — clever
  24. nail — for a hammer

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