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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: ground · ball · root · mug · deal · saw · cabinet · wind

  1. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. ball — a dance
  4. mug — a cup
  5. mug — a face
  6. root — of a word
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. saw — the tool
  9. mug — to rob
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. deal — to handle
  14. root — of a plant
  15. ball — a great time
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. wind — moving air
  18. wind — moving air
  19. ground — the earth
  20. ground — crushed
  21. ground — a position
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. saw — the tool
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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