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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. root — of a plant
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. mug — a cup
  8. root — of a word
  9. mug — a face
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. mug — to rob
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. roll — a list
  16. wind — moving air
  17. bound — certain
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. wind — moving air
  20. bound — tied together
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. root — the cause
  23. bound — obliged
  24. roll — on a roll

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