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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: drill · pitcher · root · bay · hide · chest · deal · wave

  1. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. drill — army training
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. drill — the tool
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. chest — a box
  12. drill — a practice
  13. root — of a word
  14. chest — of your body
  15. chest — of your body
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. deal — to handle
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. root — of a plant
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. hide — animal skin

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