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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 120 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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. wind — moving air
  3. wound — an injury
  4. dip — to sink
  5. root — of a plant
  6. root — of a word
  7. can — to be able to
  8. root — the cause
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. can — a tin
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. foot — a measure
  14. spring — of water
  15. can — a tin
  16. spring — the season
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. wind — moving air
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. stand — to bear
  23. spring — a coil
  24. dip — a sauce

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