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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. rash — hasty
  3. root — the cause
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. bound — tied together
  6. mark — a grade
  7. root — of a plant
  8. bound — certain
  9. bound — obliged
  10. mark — a trace
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. capital — a city
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. prune — to trim
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. capital — money
  21. rash — a series
  22. root — of a word
  23. prune — to trim
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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