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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 speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. squash — to crush
  3. wind — moving air
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. field — for sport
  6. rush — hurry
  7. root — of a plant
  8. root — of a word
  9. field — farmland
  10. stock — goods
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. stock — shares
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. root — the cause
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. squash — the sport
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. field — a subject
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. wind — moving air
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. wake — before a funeral

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