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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: wind · race · bay · root · rest · ground · rush · band

  1. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. ground — the earth
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. root — of a word
  7. ground — crushed
  8. rush — hurry
  9. wind — moving air
  10. race — a contest
  11. band — a ring
  12. rest — what's left
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. race — humankind
  15. ground — a position
  16. wind — moving air
  17. rest — what's left
  18. band — a music group
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. race — the arms race
  22. root — the cause
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. rest — a break

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