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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. wind — moving air
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. root — the cause
  7. root — of a plant
  8. pound — a weight
  9. mug — to rob
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. mug — a cup
  12. wind — moving air
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. wake — a trail
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. mug — a face
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. date — the fruit
  23. root — of a word
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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