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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: bear · pitcher · face · root · rush · season · drill · mug

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. bear — the animal
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. mug — a cup
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. drill — a practice
  9. root — of a word
  10. bear — the animal
  11. root — of a plant
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. face — to point toward
  14. season — in sport
  15. drill — the tool
  16. mug — a face
  17. root — the cause
  18. drill — army training
  19. season — of the year
  20. mug — to rob
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. face — to confront
  23. rush — hurry
  24. face — part of the head

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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