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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: root · lean · wind · shower · content · snap · toast · firm

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. root — of a word
  3. shower — rain
  4. firm — a company
  5. lean — to bend
  6. firm — steady
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. toast — bread
  10. wind — moving air
  11. shower — to wash
  12. firm — decided
  13. content — the amount
  14. content — happy
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. wind — moving air
  20. lean — thin
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. snap — to click
  23. root — the cause
  24. root — of a plant

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