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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: wound · lie · stick · root · rule · squash · ground · content

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. rule — government
  3. ground — a position
  4. wound — an injury
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. ground — the earth
  7. root — of a plant
  8. squash — to crush
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. ground — crushed
  12. squash — the sport
  13. rule — a law
  14. content — happy
  15. wound — an injury
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. root — of a word
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. root — the cause
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. content — the amount

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