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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. prune — to trim
  4. band — a ring
  5. band — a music group
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. root — of a plant
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. root — the cause
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. prune — to trim
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. ground — a position
  18. ground — crushed
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. ground — the earth
  22. bore — to drill
  23. root — of a word
  24. bore — gave birth

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