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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 a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. kid — to tease
  3. current — happening now
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. current — electric
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. pitch — completely
  8. kid — child
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. club — for dancing
  11. tear — to rip
  12. current — of water
  13. root — of a word
  14. tear — from crying
  15. wound — an injury
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. tear — from crying
  18. club — for golf
  19. wound — an injury
  20. club — a group
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. root — the cause
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. pitcher — a jug

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