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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 120 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: wind · tear · last · rush · ball · root · field · chip

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. chip — for betting
  3. field — farmland
  4. tear — from crying
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. rush — hurry
  7. ball — a great time
  8. last — to go on
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. root — the cause
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. root — of a plant
  13. field — a subject
  14. wind — moving air
  15. tear — to rip
  16. chip — to eat
  17. last — final
  18. field — for sport
  19. last — finally
  20. root — of a word
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. wind — moving air
  24. ball — a dance

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