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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: root · net · row · pitcher · rash · saw · bore · clip

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. bore — to tire
  4. row — a line
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. rash — hasty
  7. clip — to cut
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. row — to paddle
  10. net — for catching
  11. root — of a word
  12. net — after costs
  13. saw — the tool
  14. clip — a video
  15. clip — for paper
  16. bore — to drill
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. rash — a series
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. root — the cause
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. root — of a plant
  24. net — in sport

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