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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: bank · kid · squash · straw · rock · wind · foot · root

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. rock — a stone
  3. root — the cause
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. wind — moving air
  6. bank — of a river
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. squash — the sport
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. bank — for money
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. root — of a plant
  15. bank — for money
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. wind — moving air
  18. root — of a word
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. foot — a measure
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. kid — to tease
  23. rock — music
  24. kid — child

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