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

Word bank: rest · straw · march · root · wind · pound

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. root — of a plant
  3. wind — moving air
  4. pound — a weight
  5. rest — what's left
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. rest — what's left
  8. march — the month
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. root — of a word
  12. wind — moving air
  13. march — music
  14. march — the month
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. root — the cause
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. pound — for dogs

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