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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. staff — employees
  3. hand — help
  4. bank — for money
  5. ground — a position
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. root — the cause
  8. wind — moving air
  9. bank — of a river
  10. ground — the earth
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. hand — in cards
  13. staff — a stick
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. chair — a leader
  16. prune — to trim
  17. staff — employees
  18. bank — for money
  19. prune — to trim
  20. root — of a plant
  21. wind — moving air
  22. ground — crushed
  23. root — of a word
  24. wind — to turn a key

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