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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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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: straw · kid · root · wound · suit · firm · pit · nail

  1. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. root — of a word
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. pit — in a race
  5. wound — an injury
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. kid — to tease
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. suit — to fit
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. root — of a plant
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. firm — steady
  15. root — the cause
  16. suit — clothes
  17. firm — a company
  18. pit — a hole
  19. kid — child
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. firm — decided
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. wound — an injury

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