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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. season — in sport
  6. root — the cause
  7. root — of a word
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. deal — to handle
  13. root — of a plant
  14. ball — a dance
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. season — of the year
  18. suit — clothes
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. ball — a great time
  21. suit — to fit
  22. branch — a division
  23. wind — moving air
  24. wind — moving air

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