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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. root — of a plant
  3. root — the cause
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. stock — goods
  6. band — a ring
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. mug — a face
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. snap — to click
  11. season — in sport
  12. wound — an injury
  13. wound — an injury
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. band — a music group
  16. mug — a cup
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. stock — shares
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. season — of the year
  22. root — of a word
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. band — a rubber band

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