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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: root · coach · bay · pitcher · kid · tear · safe · press

  1. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. tear — from crying
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. tear — from crying
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. root — the cause
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. kid — to tease
  12. press — a publisher
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. tear — to rip
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. kid — child
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. root — of a word
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. press — to push
  23. press — newspapers
  24. pitcher — a jug

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