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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: rush · land · root · wind · march · foot · sharp · rest

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. rest — what's left
  4. rest — what's left
  5. root — of a plant
  6. root — the cause
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. root — of a word
  9. land — to come down
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. rush — hurry
  15. wind — moving air
  16. land — ground
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. rest — a break
  19. wind — moving air
  20. march — the month
  21. foot — a measure
  22. land — a country
  23. march — the month
  24. march — music

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