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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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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: mate · lie · stand · cold · wind · rock · root · row

  1. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. root — of a plant
  3. mate — a partner
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. mate — a friend
  8. row — a line
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. cold — not warm
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. row — to paddle
  13. rock — music
  14. rock — a stone
  15. lie — to recline
  16. mate — to breed
  17. wind — moving air
  18. stand — to bear
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. cold — an illness
  22. root — the cause
  23. wind — moving air
  24. root — of a word

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