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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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Word bank
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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: saw · ground · root · pitcher · rush · bat · fan · hand

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. saw — the tool
  3. ground — a position
  4. saw — the tool
  5. bat — the animal
  6. ground — crushed
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. root — of a plant
  9. root — of a word
  10. hand — in cards
  11. root — the cause
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. rush — hurry
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. hand — help
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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