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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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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: bound · race · mug · scale · root · fall · spring · wind

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. scale — in music
  3. race — the arms race
  4. root — the cause
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. bound — tied together
  7. race — humankind
  8. mug — a face
  9. root — of a plant
  10. spring — of water
  11. spring — a coil
  12. race — a contest
  13. fall — to drop
  14. root — of a word
  15. bound — certain
  16. fall — to drop
  17. mug — to rob
  18. mug — a cup
  19. fall — the season
  20. wind — moving air
  21. scale — size or range
  22. spring — the season
  23. bound — obliged
  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