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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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Word bank
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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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. bear — the animal
  6. root — of a word
  7. root — the cause
  8. fine — high quality
  9. saw — the tool
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. root — of a plant
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. saw — the tool
  14. track — a path
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. track — a song
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. bear — the animal
  22. fine — all right
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. track — to keep track

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