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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: bowl · root · last · net · bore · spring · pitcher · mate

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. net — in sport
  4. root — of a plant
  5. root — the cause
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. root — of a word
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. mate — a partner
  10. mate — a friend
  11. bore — to tire
  12. net — after costs
  13. spring — of water
  14. last — finally
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. spring — the season
  18. bore — to drill
  19. last — final
  20. mate — to breed
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. spring — a coil
  24. net — for catching

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