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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 · fine · pitcher · pound · rush · fan · stem · bowl

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. rush — hurry
  4. stem — to come from
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. root — of a word
  7. fine — high quality
  8. root — the cause
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. root — of a plant
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. fine — all right
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. pound — a weight
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. bowl — a football final

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