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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 120 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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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 · bowl · cue · pound · mine · mark · squash · root

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. cue — for pool
  4. mark — a trace
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. root — of a word
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. squash — to crush
  9. bear — the animal
  10. cue — a hint
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. bear — the animal
  14. root — the cause
  15. mark — a grade
  16. root — of a plant
  17. mine — for digging
  18. cue — a signal
  19. squash — the sport
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. pound — a weight

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