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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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. row — to paddle
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. row — a line
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. root — of a word
  9. vault — a safe
  10. bound — obliged
  11. root — the cause
  12. bound — certain
  13. clip — to cut
  14. root — of a plant
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. bore — to tire
  18. clip — for paper
  19. bore — to drill
  20. clip — a video
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. bound — tied together
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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