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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: root · lie · pitch · toast · kid · bass · saw · lean

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. toast — bread
  3. lean — to bend
  4. lean — thin
  5. root — the cause
  6. saw — the tool
  7. pitch — completely
  8. lie — to recline
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. kid — to tease
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. kid — child
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. bass — the fish
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. root — of a plant
  22. root — of a word
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. bass — low music

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