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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: mine · wind · roll · pitcher · saw · root · mark · perch

  1. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. root — the cause
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. roll — a list
  8. mine — for digging
  9. wind — moving air
  10. saw — the tool
  11. wind — moving air
  12. mark — a trace
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. root — of a plant
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. perch — the fish
  18. roll — a cake
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. root — of a word
  21. mark — a grade
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. saw — the tool
  24. mark — to pay attention

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