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

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. root — of a word
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. root — of a plant
  7. file — a document
  8. bank — of a river
  9. wake — a trail
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. bank — for money
  12. bank — for money
  13. root — the cause
  14. file — a line of people
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. saw — the tool
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. kick — in football
  21. roll — a list
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. roll — a cake
  24. file — a tool

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