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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 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. row — to paddle
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. key — for a lock
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. key — the most important part
  9. ground — the earth
  10. ground — a position
  11. root — the cause
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. row — a line
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. band — a ring
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. band — a music group
  20. fork — in a road
  21. ground — crushed
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. root — of a plant
  24. key — in music

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