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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. root — of a word
  3. key — for a lock
  4. rush — hurry
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. root — the cause
  7. bound — obliged
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. key — the most important part
  11. drill — the tool
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. bound — certain
  14. bound — tied together
  15. fall — to drop
  16. fall — to drop
  17. drill — a practice
  18. drill — army training
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. fall — the season
  22. key — in music
  23. root — of a plant
  24. rush — a thrill

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