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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. root — of a plant
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. wound — an injury
  5. pop — to visit
  6. bore — to drill
  7. wake — a trail
  8. bore — to tire
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. wound — an injury
  11. pop — music
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. root — the cause
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. pop — soda
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. root — of a word
  20. stem — to come from
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. stem — of a plant

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