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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 124 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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: present · wind · bat · arm · root · hide

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. root — the cause
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. present — the time now
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. root — of a word
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. wind — moving air
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. bat — the animal
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. present — there
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. root — of a plant
  18. 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