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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: wind · root · mate · chip · content · dip · leaves · club

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. club — a group
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. mate — to breed
  5. content — the amount
  6. mate — a partner
  7. wind — moving air
  8. root — of a word
  9. club — for golf
  10. chip — for betting
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. mate — a friend
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. dip — to sink
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. root — the cause
  19. club — for dancing
  20. root — of a plant
  21. wind — moving air
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. content — happy

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