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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: bank · hand · wave · foot · ground · rush · charge · root

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. rush — hurry
  3. ground — crushed
  4. root — of a word
  5. hand — in cards
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. charge — electricity
  9. bank — of a river
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. ground — the earth
  12. ground — a position
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. foot — a measure
  16. hand — help
  17. charge — a price
  18. root — of a plant
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. charge — in control
  21. root — the cause
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. bank — for money
  24. bank — for money

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