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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. net — in sport
  5. rush — hurry
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. net — after costs
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. root — of a word
  12. wind — moving air
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. net — for catching
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. root — of a plant
  19. root — the cause
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. wind — moving air
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. nail — for a hammer

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