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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 ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. season — in sport
  8. row — to paddle
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. pass — a permit
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. row — a line
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. root — the cause
  17. season — of the year
  18. root — of a plant
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. dip — to sink
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. row — a quarrel

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