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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. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. prune — to trim
  4. root — of a word
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. root — of a plant
  8. pound — a weight
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. wind — moving air
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. wind — moving air
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. prune — to trim
  17. last — final
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. shower — to wash
  20. bass — low music
  21. last — to go on
  22. shower — rain
  23. bass — the fish
  24. last — finally

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