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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. root — of a word
  3. tear — from crying
  4. scale — in music
  5. bear — the animal
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. can — a tin
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. can — a tin
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. scale — size or range
  14. can — to be able to
  15. root — the cause
  16. wake — a trail
  17. root — of a plant
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. tear — to rip
  20. tear — from crying
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. bear — the animal
  24. calf — a young animal

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