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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. root — the cause
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. root — of a word
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. content — happy
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. content — the amount
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. stock — goods
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. root — of a plant
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. stock — shares
  24. wave — with your hand

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