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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. scale — size or range
  3. wind — moving air
  4. root — of a word
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. mark — a trace
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. squash — to crush
  9. wake — a trail
  10. squash — the sport
  11. scale — in music
  12. spring — of water
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. mark — a grade
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. spring — the season
  18. spring — a coil
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. fork — in a road
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. root — the cause
  24. wind — moving air

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