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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. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. saw — the tool
  3. root — of a word
  4. root — the cause
  5. bound — tied together
  6. saw — the tool
  7. track — to keep track
  8. bound — certain
  9. track — a song
  10. wind — moving air
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. court — of law
  13. track — a path
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. wind — moving air
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. rock — a stone
  19. rock — music
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. bound — obliged
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. court — of a king
  24. court — for sport

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