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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. root — the cause
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. cap — a lid
  6. pitch — completely
  7. cue — for pool
  8. root — of a plant
  9. drill — army training
  10. root — of a word
  11. bank — for money
  12. file — a document
  13. file — a line of people
  14. cue — a signal
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. bank — for money
  17. drill — a practice
  18. cap — of ice
  19. mine — for digging
  20. cue — a hint
  21. cap — a hat
  22. drill — the tool
  23. file — a tool
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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