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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: rush · fan · saw · land · pitcher · cap · root · bark

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. cap — a lid
  3. root — of a plant
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. land — a country
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. root — the cause
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. cap — a hat
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. rush — hurry
  12. saw — the tool
  13. cap — of ice
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. land — to come down
  16. land — ground
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. root — of a word
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. saw — the tool
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. bark — to shout
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. fan — a supporter

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