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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: kid · root · rest · cell · snap · bowl · bay · rush

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. root — of a word
  3. kid — child
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. rest — what's left
  9. root — the cause
  10. cell — in biology
  11. cell — a phone
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. snap — to click
  17. rest — a break
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. rush — hurry
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. root — of a plant
  23. rest — what's left
  24. bay — a horse colour

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