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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: bowl · kid · club · rash · pitcher · root · wake · bear

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. rash — a series
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. root — of a plant
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. club — a group
  9. bear — the animal
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. kid — to tease
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. club — for dancing
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. root — the cause
  16. rash — hasty
  17. club — for golf
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. kid — child
  20. wake — a trail
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. bear — the animal
  24. root — of a word

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