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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. field — farmland
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. root — of a plant
  6. rash — hasty
  7. field — a subject
  8. band — a music group
  9. rash — a series
  10. mate — to breed
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. root — of a word
  13. mate — a partner
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. field — for sport
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. root — the cause
  20. mate — a friend
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. band — a ring
  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