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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. squash — the sport
  3. root — of a plant
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. bound — obliged
  8. spring — a coil
  9. bound — tied together
  10. squash — to crush
  11. kid — child
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. root — the cause
  14. bound — certain
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. kid — to tease
  17. spring — of water
  18. net — after costs
  19. spring — the season
  20. net — for catching
  21. net — in sport
  22. root — of a word
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. squash — the vegetable

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