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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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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: rock · wake · root · wound · calf · present · pitcher · pit

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. rock — music
  3. wake — a trail
  4. wound — an injury
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. present — a gift
  7. pit — a hole
  8. root — of a plant
  9. rock — a stone
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. present — the time now
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. root — of a word
  16. root — the cause
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. pit — in a race
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. present — there
  23. wound — an injury
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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