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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: wind · hide · mark · root · row · rash · game · mine

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. wind — moving air
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. rash — hasty
  5. wind — moving air
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. rash — a series
  8. root — of a plant
  9. mine — for digging
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. row — a line
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. game — wild animals
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. game — a match
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. mark — a trace
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. root — the cause
  23. root — of a word
  24. mark — a grade

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