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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: nail · root · temple · roll · pass · snap · content · wind

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. roll — a list
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. content — happy
  6. wind — moving air
  7. wind — moving air
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. roll — a cake
  10. root — of a plant
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. pass — a permit
  19. root — the cause
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. content — the amount
  23. snap — to click
  24. root — of a word

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