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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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. spring — of water
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. root — the cause
  8. lean — thin
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. content — the amount
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. content — happy
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. spring — a coil
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. lean — to bend
  20. bore — to drill
  21. spring — the season
  22. root — of a plant
  23. root — of a word
  24. bore — to tire

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