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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: dip · board · cold · hide · wind · deal · root · rash

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. root — of a word
  4. cold — an illness
  5. board — to get on
  6. rash — a series
  7. wind — moving air
  8. deal — to handle
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. wind — moving air
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. board — a committee
  19. dip — to sink
  20. cold — not warm
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. root — of a plant
  24. root — the cause

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