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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: pitcher · cell · scale · lie · root · mine · snap · rock

  1. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. cell — a phone
  4. snap — to click
  5. rock — a stone
  6. cell — in biology
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. lie — to recline
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. rock — music
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. root — of a word
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. root — the cause
  20. mine — for digging
  21. root — of a plant
  22. scale — size or range
  23. scale — in music
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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