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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: swing · cabinet · bore · bay · cue · tear · root · pitcher

  1. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. swing — to play on
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. cue — a signal
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. root — of a plant
  9. tear — to rip
  10. cue — a hint
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. tear — from crying
  13. root — of a word
  14. swing — in golf
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. root — the cause
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. bore — to tire
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. bore — to drill
  22. swing — music
  23. tear — from crying
  24. cabinet — ministers

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