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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: wind · root · fall · bat · mark · content · can · sharp

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. root — the cause
  3. wind — moving air
  4. content — happy
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. can — to be able to
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. can — a tin
  10. bat — the animal
  11. can — a tin
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. root — of a word
  14. fall — to drop
  15. mark — a grade
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. content — the amount
  18. fall — the season
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. mark — a trace
  21. wind — moving air
  22. fall — to drop
  23. sharp — clever
  24. root — of a plant

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