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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: pound · pass · pitcher · craft · lean · field · row · root

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. craft — a skill
  5. root — of a plant
  6. pound — a weight
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. row — a line
  9. lean — thin
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. lean — to bend
  13. pass — a permit
  14. field — a subject
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. root — the cause
  18. root — of a word
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. row — to paddle
  21. field — for sport
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. craft — boats
  24. field — farmland

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