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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. bass — the fish
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. band — a ring
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. root — of a word
  11. staff — employees
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. staff — a stick
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. root — of a plant
  16. staff — employees
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. band — a music group
  20. bass — low music
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. root — the cause
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. calf — of the leg

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