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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. root — of a word
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. ground — crushed
  6. ground — the earth
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. wound — an injury
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pound — a weight
  13. branch — a division
  14. root — of a plant
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. rush — hurry
  17. root — the cause
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. ground — a position
  22. wound — an injury
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. mouse — the animal

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