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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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. bound — obliged
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. root — the cause
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. roll — a cake
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. bound — tied together
  11. drill — the tool
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. saw — the tool
  14. saw — the tool
  15. roll — a list
  16. drill — a practice
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. bound — certain
  20. root — of a word
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. root — of a plant
  23. drill — army training
  24. ruler — for measuring

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