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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: current · wind · last · hand · root · bear · scale · wake

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. bear — the animal
  3. wind — moving air
  4. hand — in cards
  5. scale — size or range
  6. current — happening now
  7. scale — in music
  8. root — of a plant
  9. current — of water
  10. wake — a trail
  11. bear — the animal
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. wind — moving air
  14. last — finally
  15. last — final
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. last — to go on
  18. hand — help
  19. current — electric
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. root — the cause
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. root — of a word
  24. hand — part of the body

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