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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. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. saw — the tool
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. snap — to click
  5. net — in sport
  6. root — of a plant
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. root — of a word
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. can — a tin
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. bore — to drill
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. can — to be able to
  15. saw — the tool
  16. stand — to bear
  17. bore — to tire
  18. net — for catching
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. can — a tin
  23. net — after costs
  24. root — the cause

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