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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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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: mug · wound · firm · leaves · kid · track · root · rush

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. mug — to rob
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. track — a path
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. kid — to tease
  7. wound — an injury
  8. mug — a face
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. root — of a plant
  11. root — the cause
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. mug — a cup
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. wound — an injury
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. firm — steady
  18. track — a song
  19. kid — child
  20. firm — a company
  21. root — of a word
  22. firm — decided
  23. track — to keep track
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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