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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: pop · mine · staff · bat · root · wind · last · stand

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. mine — for digging
  7. last — final
  8. wind — moving air
  9. last — finally
  10. staff — employees
  11. pop — soda
  12. staff — employees
  13. stand — to bear
  14. bat — the animal
  15. pop — to visit
  16. root — the cause
  17. root — of a plant
  18. last — to go on
  19. staff — a stick
  20. pop — music
  21. root — of a word
  22. wind — moving air
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. stand — on your feet

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