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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: dip · wound · root · sharp · pop · bore · mug · racket

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. root — the cause
  5. bore — to tire
  6. mug — a face
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. mug — a cup
  9. wound — an injury
  10. pop — to visit
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. wound — an injury
  17. sharp — clever
  18. root — of a word
  19. bore — to drill
  20. root — of a plant
  21. dip — to sink
  22. pop — soda
  23. pop — music
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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