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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 ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. wind — moving air
  3. mug — a face
  4. degree — from a university
  5. wind — moving air
  6. root — the cause
  7. board — a committee
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. board — to get on
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. mug — to rob
  14. degree — temperature
  15. tube — a container
  16. tube — the underground
  17. mug — a cup
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. saw — the tool
  20. root — of a plant
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. degree — an amount
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. saw — the tool

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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