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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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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 · key · rush · wind · stock · root · bay · kid

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. root — of a plant
  4. rush — hurry
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. key — the most important part
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. rest — a break
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. key — in music
  12. root — of a word
  13. kid — to tease
  14. kid — child
  15. rest — what's left
  16. stock — goods
  17. stock — shares
  18. root — the cause
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. wind — moving air
  21. wind — moving air
  22. key — for a lock
  23. rest — what's left
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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