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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. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. current — happening now
  3. cap — of ice
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. fine — all right
  7. wind — moving air
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. fine — high quality
  11. root — of a word
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. cap — a lid
  14. rash — a series
  15. current — of water
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. root — the cause
  18. season — in sport
  19. rash — hasty
  20. season — of the year
  21. wind — moving air
  22. cap — a hat
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. current — electric

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