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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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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 · fork · root · straw · wind · race · can · content

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. can — a tin
  3. content — the amount
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. root — the cause
  7. root — of a plant
  8. wind — moving air
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. wind — moving air
  12. root — of a word
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. content — happy
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. fork — in a road
  18. race — a contest
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. can — to be able to
  22. race — the arms race
  23. race — humankind
  24. pitcher — a jug

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