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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: wound · squash · kick · root · current · face · ground · pound

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. ground — a position
  4. face — to confront
  5. pound — a weight
  6. current — of water
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. root — of a word
  9. face — part of the head
  10. current — electric
  11. root — of a plant
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. kick — in football
  15. root — the cause
  16. ground — crushed
  17. ground — the earth
  18. squash — the sport
  19. wound — an injury
  20. squash — to crush
  21. wound — an injury
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. face — to point toward

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