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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 120 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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. root — of a word
  4. root — of a plant
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. cold — not warm
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. cold — an illness
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. root — the cause
  14. snap — to click
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. craft — a skill
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. craft — boats
  21. rock — a stone
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. rock — music
  24. cold — the Cold War

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