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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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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: pit · stand · root · wind · calf · mine · mouse · jam

  1. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. root — of a word
  4. wind — moving air
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. root — the cause
  10. root — of a plant
  11. stand — to bear
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. pit — a hole
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. mine — for digging
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. wind — moving air

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