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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 116 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: pitcher · fork · lie · spell · root · straw · hand · mate

  1. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. root — the cause
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. hand — in cards
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. lie — to recline
  12. spell — a short time
  13. mate — a partner
  14. mate — a friend
  15. spell — letters
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. spell — magic
  18. hand — help
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. fork — in a road
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. root — of a word
  24. mate — to breed

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