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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: key · row · root · cell · bat · squash · wound · rush

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. root — the cause
  4. root — of a plant
  5. squash — the sport
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. row — to paddle
  8. cell — in biology
  9. key — for a lock
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. wound — an injury
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. cell — a phone
  15. key — in music
  16. squash — to crush
  17. key — the most important part
  18. wound — an injury
  19. root — of a word
  20. rush — hurry
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. bat — the animal
  23. row — a line
  24. bat — in an idiom

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