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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 116 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: bore · root · snap · wake · net · sharp · race · wind

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. wind — moving air
  3. net — for catching
  4. sharp — clever
  5. net — after costs
  6. race — a contest
  7. root — the cause
  8. race — humankind
  9. net — in sport
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. wind — moving air
  14. race — the arms race
  15. wake — a trail
  16. bore — to tire
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. root — of a plant
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. root — of a word
  22. bore — to drill
  23. snap — to click
  24. wind — to turn a key

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