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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. root — of a word
  4. root — the cause
  5. wound — an injury
  6. branch — a division
  7. wound — an injury
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. staff — a stick
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. staff — employees
  13. root — of a plant
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. face — part of the head
  17. row — to paddle
  18. staff — employees
  19. face — to point toward
  20. face — to confront
  21. sharp — clever
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. row — a line
  24. pitcher — a jug

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