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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 116 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: dip · game · cold · plane · root · key · wind · rest

  1. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. wind — moving air
  3. rest — a break
  4. cold — not warm
  5. rest — what's left
  6. rest — what's left
  7. key — the most important part
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. dip — to sink
  10. key — in music
  11. game — a match
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. wind — moving air
  14. root — of a plant
  15. game — wild animals
  16. root — of a word
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. cold — an illness
  20. plane — a tool
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. key — for a lock

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